How the major stock indexes fared Thursday (AP)

Reports of strong gains of large companies, including Apple Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. lifted stocks across the market Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at another high for the second straight day 2011.

The Dow Jones industrial average added 52.45 points, or 0.4%, to 12,505.99.

The standard & poor 500 index increased 7.02, or 0.5%, to 1,337.38.

The Nasdaq composite increased 17.65, or 0.6%, to 2,820.16

For the week:

The Dow Jones index is 164.16 points, or 1.3%.

The S & P is 17.70 points, or 1.3%.

The Nasdaq is 55.51 points, or 2.0%.

For the year to date:

The Dow Jones index is at 928.48, or 8.0%.

The S & P is 79.74, or 6.3%.

The Nasdaq is 167.29, or 6.3%.

View the original article here