NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks continued their
climb into uncharted territory on Friday, racking up the fourth
week of gains in a row as encouraging economic data prompted
investors to pick up shares of growth companies.

The Dow and the S&P 500 finished at fresh record highs,
driven by gains in energy and industrial shares. The indexes
have pushed to a series of never-before-seen levels as part of
the rally that has lifted equities more than 16 percent for the
year so far.

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks continued their
climb into uncharted territory on Friday, racking up the fourth
week of gains in a row as encouraging economic data prompted
investors to pick up shares of growth companies.

The Dow and the S&P 500 finished at fresh record highs,
driven by gains in energy and industrial shares. The indexes
have pushed to a series of never-before-seen levels as part of
the rally that has lifted equities more than 16 percent for the
year so far.

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks continued their
climb into uncharted territory on Friday, racking up the fourth
week of gains in a row as encouraging economic data prompted
investors to pick up shares of growth companies.

The Dow and the S&P 500 finished at fresh record highs,
driven by gains in energy and industrial shares. The indexes
have pushed to a series of never-before-seen levels as part of
the rally that has lifted equities more than 16 percent for the
year so far.

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) – Growth sectors led Wall
Street’s advance on Friday as encouraging economic data put
major U.S. stock indexes on track to close out their fourth week
of gains in a row.

Data showed Americans felt better about their economic and
financial prospects in early May, with consumer sentiment at its
highest in nearly six years, while a gauge of future economic
activity rose in April to a near five-year high.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Consumer sentiment rebounded in early May to the highest level in nearly six years, an encouraging sign after recent data that has suggested economic growth is cooling.

A gauge of future economic activity released on Friday also suggested the expected slowdown would be temporary, with the index rising to a near five-year high in April.

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) – U.S. consumer sentiment
rebounded in early May to the highest level in nearly six years,
an encouraging sign after recent data that has suggested
economic growth is cooling.

A gauge of future economic activity released on Friday also
suggested the expected slowdown would be temporary, with the
index rising to a near five-year high in April.

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks fell on Thursday,
with the downturn accelerating late in the day after a Federal
Reserve official said the central bank could begin easing up on
its monetary stimulus this summer.

The three major U.S. stock indexes had earlier traded in a
tight range, supported by a gain of more than 12 percent in
Cisco Systems shares and as investors took in a batch
of economic data that pointed to slower growth.

NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rallied to fresh
highs on Tuesday as investors picked up large-cap companies’
shares on the expectation that central bank stimulus will help
propel the rally further.

Gains were broad, but growth sectors outperformed their
peers with bank stocks leading the way. Bank of America,
up 2.8 percent at $13.34, was the Dow’s biggest percentage
gainer, while Citigroup Inc rose 2.4 percent to $50.09.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rose to extend a recent rally on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 indexes hitting new intraday highs as investors bet that the market has momentum to it.

Growth-oriented stocks were among the day’s biggest advancers, with large-cap bank stocks leading the way. Bank of America (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), up 2.7 percent at $13.33, was the Dow’s biggest gainer, while Citigroup Inc (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) rose 2.3 percent to $50.04.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Companies hired the smallest number of employees in seven months in April while manufacturing growth slowed, providing more signs that the economy is encountering a soft patch.

Businesses added 119,000 employees to their payrolls last month, according to the ADP National Employment Report released on Wednesday. It fell short of economists’ expectations for 150,000 jobs and was the smallest gain since last September.