NEW YORK, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Dow Jones industrial average, boosted by consumer spending, Thursday closed above the 10,000 mark for the first time in 18 months.
The Dow gained 86.30 points or 0.87 percent to close at 10,008.16 while the Nasdaq added 37.67 points or 1.98 percent to end at 1,942.32. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 gained 12.16 or 1.15 percent to close at 1,071.21.
Analysts noted stocks tend to rally at year's end but hitting 10,000 gave traders a psychological boost, nonetheless.
Investors were encouraged by retail sales in November, which inched up 0.9 percent, the Commerce Department reported. Demand for cars was particularly strong, rising 2.6 percent, and sales of durable goods increased 2.2 percent.
Overseas, European stocks ended mostly higher. London's FTSE-100 share index was down 4.10 points, or 0.09 percent, at 4,331.30. Most Asian-Pacific markets ended higher. Japan's Nikkei stock average of 225 issues ended up 164.58 points, or 1.7 percent, at 10,075.14.
On currency markets, the dollar traded at 108.015 yen, down from 108.27 yen late Wednesday in New York, while the euro traded at $1.2212, down from $1.2219 in New York late Wednesday.
