The Associated Press

The stock market advanced for a fourth straight day Thursday, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to a record high. Investors were encouraged by news that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits remains at a multi-year low. Hewlett-Packard rose after delivering better results, while Sears plunged after reporting that its loss doubled from a year ago.

On Thursday:

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 60.36 points, or 0.4 percent, to 17,039.49.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5.86 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 1,992.37.

The Nasdaq composite added 5.62 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,532.10.

For the week:

The Dow is up 376.58 points, or 2.3 percent.

The S&P 500 index is up 37.31 points, or 1.9 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 67.18 points, or 1.5 percent

For the year:

The Dow is up 462.83 points, or 2.8 percent.

The S&P 500 index is up 144.01 points, or 7.8 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 355.51 points, or 8.5 percent.

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