US stocks have continued their upward climb, riding positive economic data from Germany and China to new records.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 48.92 (0.32 per cent) to 15,105.12.
The broad-based S&P 500 rose 6.73 (0.41 per cent) to 1,632.69, its fifth consecutive record high.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added 16.64 (0.49 per cent) to 3,413.27.
The gains came on a quiet day for US economic and business news. However, investors were heartened by positive German industrial production data and higher Chinese exports.
"Individual investors are regaining confidence," said Alan Skrainka, chief investment officer at Cornerstone Wealth Management.
Investors are choosing stocks because of a "general sense that the economy is starting to get better" as well as the "lack of a viable alternative" for investment, Skrainka said.
Dow member McDonald's fell 1.3 per cent after reporting a 0.6 per cent decline in comparable sales in April. On the positive side, the company said US sales rose 0.7 per cent.
Microsoft lost 1.0 per cent after the company said it would revise its Windows 8 operating system following customer complaints.
Nasdaq-listed British football team Manchester United fell 1.8 per cent after the shock retirement of legendary team manager Alex Ferguson. Ferguson led the team for 26 years during which the team won several championships.
Video and computer game maker Electronic Arts surged 17.1 per cent after forecasting 2014 profits at $1.20 a share, 10 cents higher than analysts expected.
J.C. Penney rose 7.4 per cent despite warning ahead of earnings that it anticipates a 16.4 per cent drop in revenues and a 16.6 per cent drop in comparable store sales.
Whole Foods Market gained 10.1 per cent on a 21 per cent increase in net income and a 6.9 per cent rise in comparable store sales. The company also announced a two-for-one stock split.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury fell to 1.76 per cent from 1.78 per cent late Tuesday, while the yield on the 30-year slipped to 2.98 per cent from 3.00 per cent. Bond prices move inversely to yields.
