Stocks surge to new record highs after jobs report

US stocks pushed to new record levels after a government report pointed to lower-than-expected jobless claims.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 61.29 (0.41 percent) to 14,863.53, while the broad-based S&P 500 rose 5.47 (0.34 percent) to 1,593.20.

Both the Dow and the S&P 500 recorded new all-time highs for the second day in a row.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 2.90 (0.09 percent) to 3,300.16.

The Labor Department reported that new claims for unemployment benefits came in at 346,000 last week, well below the 365,000 expected by analysts.