07.03.201402:33:39UTC+00S&P 500 closes at record high on ECB move, US jobs figures

Most of the US shares advanced on Thursday as the S&P 500 ended at another record high following a better jobless data and European Central Bank's decision to retain its interest rates.

But the sentiment in general was guarded before today's US nonfarm payrolls report and standoff between Ukraine and Russia. The CBOE Volatility Index, Wall Street's benchmark gauge, ended 2.3% at 14.21. It generally moved inversely to the performance of S&P 500 and frequently used to hedge versus market decline.

Also, trading volume was lower than average with around 6.4 billion shares listed on US exchanges, based on the data from BATS Global Markets, below the daily average of around 7 billion last month. Thursday's milestone hit the S&P 500's fourth record closing high throughout the last six sessions.

Weekly applications for US unemployment insurance dropped to 323,000, the least in three months, a hint of strength in a labor market that has been limped by harsh weather. However, new orders for US factory goods fell more than expected in January and shipments also slid, adding to cues of latest slow down in manufacturing activity.

The day's largest earners were stocks in basic materials, financial, and industrial sectors, frequently linked with sturdy economic fundamentals. The S&P basic materials index climbed 0.4%, the S&P financial index ascended 0.7% and the S&P industrials index went up 0.6%. But the Nasdaq 100 dived 0.2%, led lower by Staples, which missed 15.3% to $11.35. The biggest US office supplies retailer predict a decrease in sales. Staples also said it would shut down 225 stores in the United States and Canada in 2015.

The Dow Jones industrial average increased 61.71 points or 0.38%, to close at 16,421.89. The S&P 500 got 3.22 points or 0.17%, to end at 1,877.03. The Nasdaq Composite dipped 5.848 points or 0.13%, to finish at 4,352.125.

Among individual stocks, Costco Wholesale Corp fell 2.8% to $113.26 following it reported a larger than anticipated 15% decrement in quarterly profit as remarkably deep discounting in the holiday shopping season affected margins.