Following the long MLK holiday weekend, the markets opened on Tuesday by continuing to push up against 5-year highs on positive earnings news from DuPont and Travelers. On Wednesday, the major indexes kept their winning streaks alive when it was announced that the US House of Representatives voted to move the debt ceiling resolution decision to May, which allows the US to at least temporarily continue to pay the bills. The Dow logged its fifth straight gain and tenth in the past eleven trading session on Thursday on encouraging job news. New US jobless benefits claims fell to a 5-year low. However, a disappointing earnings report from Apple dragged down the S&P 500 and NASDAQ. The week concluded on Friday with another uptick, as the S&P 500 crossed the 1500 mark for the first time in five years. The S&P 500 is now only 63 points from an all-time high, while the Dow is only 269 points from its all-time high.
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