The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs on Thursday on gains in heavyweight technology and energy companies, as well as hopes that the Federal Reserve will maintain an accommodative policy amid signs that an economic recovery was slowing.
The energy sector rose 3.1 percent, with oil majors Exxon Mobil, Chevron Corp, Schlumberger NV, and Occidental Petroleum gaining between 2.6 percent and 7.0 percent as crude prices jumped on a sharp decline in U.S. inventories and a weaker dollar.
