S&P 500 index closes at a record high, beating mark set six weeks ago, turns positive for year

2/27/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at a record high today and has turned positive for the year.

The all-time high today came after solid results from a number of U.S. companies including Mylan, a drug maker, and several retailers.

The S&P 500 has fallen just short of a record the previous three days.

Today, the index increased nine points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,854, beating its Jan. 15 record by six points.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 74 points, or 0.5 percent, to 16,272. The Nasdaq climbed 26 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,318.

J.C. Penney jumped 25 percent after the department store operator swung to a profit in the fourth quarter after posting a big loss in the same period a year earlier.