S&P 500 closes at record high before key jobs report

US equities posted a record-high close on Thursday ahead of the US jobs report on Sept. 5. Investors await data that could raise the probability for interest rate cuts with no concerns for economic recession.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 350 points, or 0.77%, to 45,621.

The S&P 500 added 0.8%, or 53 points, to 6,502, recording a fresh all-time high, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.98%, or 209 points, to end at 21,707.

The pan-European STOXX Europe 600 index gained about 0.61% to 550 points, lifted by media and telecommunications.

The FTSE 100 increased by 0.42% to 9,216 points. France’s CAC 40 slipped approximately 0.27% to 7,698 points, while Germany’s DAX climbed about 0.74% to finish at 23,770 points.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index rose by 1.55% to 42,580. TOPIX also advanced 1% to 3,080 points.

In the oil market, November Brent crude futures eased 0.90%, or 61 cents, to $66.99 a barrel. October WTI futures also declined 0.25%, or 17 cents, to $63.31 a barrel.

Data from the US Department of Labor showed that jobless claims rose by 8,000 to 237,000 last week, the highest level since late June.