Encouraging data on jobless claims boosted sentiment. The Dow Jones closed up by 197 points or 0.7% to record highs. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.6% to record highs. And the Nasdaq index rose by 18 points or 0.1%. Over 2020, the Dow rose by 7.2%; the S&P 500 index rose by 16.3%; and the Nasdaq rose by 43.6% (biggest rise in 11 years).