U.S. stock indices hit fresh record highs on Thursday for Dow Jones, Standard and Poor's 500, and NASDAQ, after U.S. president Donald Trump promised to revamp the tax system soon without going into details.
On the same note, earlier U.S. data showed a sharp fall in weekly unemployment claims, while Federal Open Market Committee member Charles Evans spoke today about the economy and monetary policy at the Chartered Financial Analysts's Society of Chicago.
Saint Louis Fed Governor Games Bullard pointed while speaking in Washington University to the possibility of keeping low overnight interest rates at their current levels through the end of 2017, a view that's contradictory to the Fed's official stance and predictions.
Dow Jones closed up 0.59%, or 118.06 points to 20,172.40, while Standard and Poor's 500 gained 0.58%, or 13.20 points to 2,307.87. NASDAQ Composite advanced 0.58%, or 32.73 points to 5,715.18.
Gold futures due on April 15 fell 0.56% to $1,232.50 an ounce from the opening of $1,239.50, while the dollar index gained 0.32% to 100.60 from the opening of 100.29.
On another note, U.S. crude futures due on March 16 rose 1.32% to $53.03 a barrel from the opening of $52.34, while Brent crude futures due on April 15 gained 0.96% to $55.65 a barrel from the opening price of $55.12.