Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Dow Jones Industrial Average touched the 26,000-mark for the first time on Tuesday and other Wall Street indexes climbed as strong earnings from UnitedHealth and Citigroup helped lift the sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 198.99 points, or 0.77 percent, to 26,002.18. The S&P 500 gained 13.76 points, or 0.493856 percent, to 2,800. The Nasdaq Composite added 45.95 points, or 0.63 percent, to 7,307.01. (Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D‘Silva) </s> Dow Jones industrial average closes above 20,000 points for the first time. </s> The Dow Jones industrial average closes above 26,000 points for the first time. </s> The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared to a record closing high on Tuesday, breaking through levels last seen in 2007 and as investors rushed in to join the party in anticipation of more gains.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average shot up 126.18 points, or 0.89 percent, to end unofficially at 14,253.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 14.60 points, or 0.96 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,539.80. The Nasdaq Composite Index was jumped 42.10 points, or 1.32 percent, to close unofficially at 3,224.13. </s> The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 20,000 points soon after it opened Wednesday, the first time it's crossed the milestone, CNBC reports.

Dow futures rose around 100 points overnight, after the index closed at 19,913 — rising after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders — pushing it above 20,000 soon after it opened, an important psychological milestone. </s> How the Dow Jones industrial average fared on Monday

U.S. stocks surged Monday after a Federal Reserve official said the central bank shouldn't raise interest rates too soon, which came as a big relief to investors. After a market nosedive on Friday, investors bought safe investments like household goods makers and phone companies. Technology companies also jumped.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 239.62 points, or 1.3 percent, to 18,325.07.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 31.23 points, or 1.5 percent, to 2,159.04.

The Nasdaq composite leaped 85.98 points, or 1.7 percent, to 5,211.89.

The Dow is up 900.04 points, or 5.2 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 115.10 points, or 5.6 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 204.48 points, or 4.1 percent. </s> The Dow closed above 26,000 for the first time Wednesday, continuing an early-year stock surge that has pushed the U.S. market to fresh records.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 323 points, or 1.3%, to a record 26,115.65, according to preliminary numbers.

The fresh milestone comes just 13 calendar days after the 30-stock index topped 25,000, marking the fastest 1,000-point climb in its history, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The Dow, which rallied 25.1% last year, has continued its surge at the start of 2018 amid rising optimism that tax cuts will lift corporate earnings and the economy. </s> NEW YORK (AP) — Dow Jones industrial average eclipses 20,000 for the first time; cheers from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. </s> NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 indexes soared to their biggest gains since the presidential election today and set all-time highs.

Investors bought stocks that do well in times of faster economic growth, like technology and industrial companies, but they also snapped up stocks that pay large dividends.

Stocks moved steadily higher throughout the day after a mixed open. Phone and real estate companies made the largest gains, but the rally moved into high gear in the afternoon, as airlines, railroads and trucking companies soared.

Investors took the rally in transportation stocks as a sign of optimism about economic growth. Technology and consumer-focused companies also jumped. Biotech drug companies took steep losses after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants to reduce drug prices.

The transportation sector reached an all-time high for the first time in two years. Julian Emanuel, an equity strategist for UBS, said investors were pleased to see that record because they see it as a sign businesses will start spending more, which would bolster economic growth.

"The consumer has really been the engine of the economy," he said. "The missing piece has been the corporate side, the industrial side."

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 297.84 points, or 1.5 percent, to 19,549.62. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 29.12 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,241.35. The Nasdaq composite recovered from an early loss to rise 60.76 points, or 1.1 percent, to 5,393.76. That was about five points short of its all-time high. </s> On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished above 20,000 for the first time. The barrier had been a psychological line of resistance since the post-election rally began. And it took just 42 days to make the climb of 1,000 points. It was the second fastest 1,000 points in history. According to The Wall Street Journal, the climb was second only to the Dow’s 1,000-point 24-day climb in the 1999’s dot-com boom.

Both the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 rose 0.8%, and the Nasdaq gained 1%. All three major indices closed at record highs buoyed by expectations of pro-business policies under President Donald Trump.

Boeing Co (NYSE: ) led the Dow 30, climbing 4.2% after it beat fourth-quarter earnings expectations. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: ) rose 2% and JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: ) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: ) gained 1.6% and 1.5% respectively.

“Risk-On” strategies drove bonds lower, sending the 10-year Treasury’s yield to 2.5% from 2.4% on Tuesday. Gold fell 1.2% to $1,195.90 per ounce. Crude Oil (WTI) fell 0.8% to $52.75 per barrel.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 156 points to a new closing high at 20,069, the S&P 500 gained 18, closing at 2,298, the Nasdaq rose to 5,656 for a gain of 55 points and the Russell 2000 closed at 1,382, gaining 13 points. The NYSE’s primary exchange traded 880 million shares with total volume of 3.8 billion shares. The Nasdaq crossed 1.9 billion shares. On the Big Board, advancers outpaced decliners by 1.8-to-1, and on the Nasdaq, advancers led by 2.4-to-1. On the NYSE Blocks fell to 6,263 from 6,771 on Tuesday.

There are many new projections for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Most aim at a further advance to the 20,220 area. The S&P 500, however, is not so visible. Assuming that the 500’s recent breakout was pushed by a “continuation gap,” my minimum target for it is 2,322 (close), or 2,370 (intraday).

Conclusion: With a trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the S&P 500 at over 24X and a forward 12-month P/E at over 17X, the consideration of new positions should be closely examined. Only those undervalued stocks, like our Trade of the Day, should be considered for trades. Recent run-ups that collect public attraction should be avoided since whipsaws from current levels could occur at any time.

Another warning: The recent AAII bullish percent has risen to 44.7%, Neutral is at just 23% “the bottom of its typical range.”

To see a list of the companies reporting earnings today, click here.

For a list of this week’s economic reports due out, click here.



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The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises above 21,000 points, reaching an all-time high.