Major Wall Street indices set new records

Most Asian markets have been closed for Lunar New Year.

The US stock market strengthened after a week of volatile trading on Friday. Major Wall Street indexes closed at historic highs, helped by technology companies. The rise in stocks this month is helped by investor optimism about trillion-dollar government aid to the economy and encouraging corporate earnings reports. The hopes that coronavirus vaccination will help achieve stronger economic growth in the second half of this year also play a part. The S&P 500 strengthened 0.5% to 3,934.83 points, the Dow Jones improved 0.1% to 31,458.40 points and the Nasdaq rose 0.5% to 14,095.47 points. It also strengthened the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies, which gained 0.2% and closed at 2,289.36 points. Most Asian markets have been closed for Lunar New Year. European stock markets closed higher.