Dow Closed above 25,000 on Strong Private Hiring

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average broke above the 25,000 level for the first time, propelled by strong U.S. private jobs numbers that added to a stream of robust economic data from across the world. The Dow rose 152.45 points, or 0.61%, to 25,075.13. The S&P 500 gained 10.93 points, or 0.40%, to 2,723.99. The Nasdaq Composite added 12.38 points, or 0.18%, to 7,077.91.

Oil futures finished higher Thursday as a hefty weekly drop in U.S. crude supplies and ongoing protests in Iran lifted prices to levels not seen since December 2014. February West Texas Intermediate crude added 38 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $62.01 a barrel. February Brent crude added 23 cents, or 0.3% to $68.07 a barrel.