This post was originally published on this site
The S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite both booked fresh record closes on Thursday, despite falling from the session’s best levels, ahead of a highly anticipated August employment report on Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
ended trade up 131 points, or 0.4%, near 35,443, while the S&P 500 index
SPX,
booked a 12 point gain, or 0.3%, to close at a record 4,536.96 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 21 points, or 0.1%, finishing at a record 15,331.18.
All eyes will be on the Friday nonfarm payroll report, as investors search for a catalyst for the Federal Reserve to pull the trigger — or wait — on reducing its $120 billion pace of monthly asset purchases begun last year to stimulate a pandemic-rattled U.S. economy.