US claims for unemployment benefits hit their lowest level since the start of the pandemic. Shares of contracting services firm Quanta Services jumped 12.1% on a US$2.7 billion takeover deal. Shares of Cabot Oil & Gas (+6.7%) and Chevron (+2.1%) climbed as the crude oil price jumped. Walgreens shares lifted 3.0%. The Dow Jones index rose by 131 points or 0.4%. The S&P 500 index added 0.3% to a record high. And the Nasdaq index rose by 22 points or 0.1% to a record high.