Stocks rise on Wall Street, indexes head for weekly gains
By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writers
Stocks rose in afternoon trading on Wall Street Thursday, putting the major indexes on track for weekly gains and driving the S&P 500 toward a record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq rose 1%. More than 80% of stocks within the benchmark S&P 500 gained ground, led by technology companies and a wide range of retailers. Bond yields rose. Safe-play sectors like real estate lagged behind. European markets were higher, and Asian markets closed higher overnight. U.S. markets will be closed Friday in observance of Christmas.