NEW YORK, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks climbed to fresh record highs on Thursday after a stronger-than-expected June jobs report bolstered confidence in the economy.
The stock market closed early following the traditional schedule before Independence Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 344.11 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 44,828.53. The S&P 500 gained 0.83 percent to finish at 6,279.35, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.02 percent to 20,601.10. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended at new all-time highs.
