US investors pushed stocks broadly higher, as the Federal Reserve's promise of continued easy-money policies helped them move past the latest flare-up in Europe's debt crisis.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished with an advance of 55.91 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 14511.73, for its second straight day of gains. The blue-chip measure rose as many as 91 points in intraday trading, briefly moving above its previous intraday record high from last Thursday.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index tacked on 10.37 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 1558.71, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 25.09 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 3254.19.
The broad gains, which saw all but one sector of the S&P 500 finish in positive territory, came after the Fed said it continue buying $US85 billion ($81bn) in bonds each month to support the economic recovery. At a news conference, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said he didn't see the recent stock market gains as out of line with historical patterns, and underscored the central bank's commitment to monitoring developments in Cyprus "very carefully".
