Fourth of July fireworks: Dow jumps above 17,000

The US' two main markets climbed to record highs on Thursday, driven by better than expected jobs data.

The Dow topped the 17,000 mark for the first time with a rise of 0.54% or 92 points, taking it to 17,068. Among the biggest risers were Goldman Sachs, Caterpillar, and United Health. The S&P 500 also hit its 25th record high of the year at 1,985, an increase of 11 points or 0.55%. Non-farm payroll data, released a day earlier than usual because of the national holiday on 4 July, showed employers aded nearly 288,000 new jobs to the economy in June. Meanwhile, the country's unemployment rate fell to 6.1%, the lowest since 2008, in an encouraging sign following disappointing a GDP rea...