New record for stocks: S&P 500 closes above 4,000 for first time

Stocks closed at a record high on Thursday, boosted by a rise in share prices for big technology companies as well as smaller companies that would benefit from a quickly growing economy. 

The market's march into April pushed the S&P 500-stock index past the 4,000-point mark for the first time, to 4,020. The key market benchmark is coming off its fourth straight quarterly gain for as of March 31. The Dow rose 172 points, or 0.5%, to 33,153, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.8%. The Russell 2000 index of small companies was up 1.5%. It's a holiday-shortened week for the stock market. The stock exchanges will be closed in observance of Good Friday. Bond trading will be open for half a day, closing at noon Eastern time.