US Market Close 22 Feb 17 - stocks finish stronger after Presidents Day holiday

US sharemarkets rose to fresh record highs supported by gains in retailers. Shares in Wal-Mart rose by 3.0% after the company reported higher-than-expected sales. Shares in Macy's ended flat after being up 1% and Home Depot rose 1.4% after both companies reported profit results that beat forecasts. At the close of trade the Dow Jones index was up by 119 points or 0.6% after being up 133 points in early trade. The S&P 500 index was up by 0.6% while the Nasdaq was up by 27 points or 0.45%.

 

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