Dow and S&P 500 closed with records, again

Solid profits for big companies and optimistic economic news Thursday helped nudge the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index to record highs for a second day.

At the close on Wall Street, the S&P 500 index was up 7.64 pointes, or 0.38 percent, at 2,031.21. The Dow closed with a gain of 69.94, or 0.40 percent, to 17,554.47. The Nasdaq gained 17.75 points, or 0.38 percent, to 4,638.47.

In European markets, losses turned to gains when the head of the European Central Bank said he was ready to take more steps to revive the region's struggling economy. The news knocked the euro to a two-year low against the dollar.

Whole Foods Market jumped 12 percent, the biggest gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, after reporting higher quarterly earnings than analysts had expected. Whole Foods climbed $4.33 to end the day at $44.34.

Stronger earnings results from Caterpillar, Microsoft and other corporate giants have helped push the market higher over recent weeks. Third-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are on track to rise nearly 9 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ. Before results began to roll in, analysts had estimated earnings would increase 6 percent.

"What's really important about this earnings season is that CEOs are no longer saying, 'We can survive.' They're saying, 'We're expanding our business,'" said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade's chief strategist. "There's a note of optimism we haven't heard in a long time."

After the close of regular trading on Wednesday, Tesla Motors posted results that beat Wall Street's estimates and also reported record deliveries of its flagship sedan, the Model S. Tesla's stock gained $10.25, or 4 percent, to $241.22.