Stocks on Wall Street experienced gains once again, marking the fifth consecutive day of increases and pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a new record high.

On Friday, the S&P 500 added 0.3% to its value. The Dow saw a more robust rise of 1%, while the Nasdaq composite recorded a modest increase of 0.2%. Retail companies were among the standout performers, particularly Gap, which soared after delivering quarterly results that far exceeded market expectations.

Conversely, EchoStar faced a downturn after DirecTV decided to terminate its agreement to acquire the company’s Dish Network division. In the broader landscape, European markets mostly closed in positive territory, while Asian markets yielded mixed results.

In the specifics of Friday’s performance:
The S&P 500 climbed 20.63 points, which translates to a 0.3% increase, bringing it to 5,969.34.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged by 426.16 points, marking a 1% gain to settle at 44,296.51.
The Nasdaq composite grew by 31.23 points, or 0.2%, closing at 19,003.65.
Additionally, the Russell 2000 index, representing smaller companies, jumped 42.65 points, or 1.8%, reaching a total of 2,406.67.

Looking back at the week, the S&P 500 rose by 98.72 points, equating to an increase of 1.7%.
The Dow enjoyed a climb of 851.52 points, which is a 2% boost.
The Nasdaq saw a gain of 323.53 points, also 1.7%.
Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 index increased significantly by 102.84 points, amounting to a 4.5% rise.

For the year thus far, the S&P 500 has advanced by 1,199.51 points, representing a notable 25.1% increase.
The Dow has climbed 6,606.97 points, which is a 17.5% increase.
The Nasdaq has shown a remarkable rise of 3,992.30 points, translating to a 26.6% increase.
The Russell 2000 index is up 379.60 points, or 18.7%.