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 U.S. stocks ended higher Thursday as investors appeared to find optimism in a round of corporate earnings and economic reports, and as a highly anticipated release of a redacted version of an investigation of Russian interference in Trump's 2016 campaign, known as the Mueller report, hasn't yet revealed major surprises.(Markets will be closed in observance of Good Friday). The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 110 points, or 0.4%, at 26,559 (on a preliminary basis), the S&P 500 index ended the session 0.2% higher at 2,905, while the Nasdaq Composite Index finished in positive territory but mostly flat at 7,998. For the week, the Dow rose 0.6%, the S&P 500 booked a 0.1% decline, while the Nasdaq rose a slight 0.2%. All three benchmarks are within striking distance of records, with the Dow about 1% shy of its Oct. 3 closing high. Thursday also featured a parade of prominent initial public offerings, including those for Zoom Video Communications Inc. and Pinterest Inc. . On the data front, a report on retail sales showed a rise of 1.6% in March, beating consensus estimates, and the Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.4% in March, indicating a slight uptick in U.S. economic activity from a weak start to 2019. However, the Philadelphia Fed's regional manufacturing index fell to a three-year low of 8.5, below economists expectations of 11. The market took the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report in stride.
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