New York (AFP)

The New York Stock Exchange continued to advance Thursday on the hope of an agreement on a US stimulus package, its three main indices ending on records.

According to final results, the Dow Jones Flagship Index closed at 30,303.37 points, up 0.49%, beating its December 4 high.

The technologically-colored Nasdaq posted a third consecutive daily record of 12,764.75 points, thanks to an increase of 0.84% ​​and the broader S&P 500 index gained 0.58% to 3,722.48 points, also displaying a higher.

"The market is on the rise mainly because of the stimulus. The prospect of securing a stimulus deal by the end of this week is helping the market," said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities.

The elected officials of the United States Congress are engaged in marathon negotiations to reach a compromise on new aid measures for American companies and homes hit by the recession.

Democratic and Republican parliamentarians are trying to agree before Christmas on a joint version of the $ 908 billion proposal put in place by a group of bipartisan elected officials.

The announcement of numerous new jobless claims, 885,000 in one week, the highest since September, hardly disturbed the momentum of investors.

"We had macro news that was not so good, with new jobless claims on the rise," said Peter Cardillo.

The other factor that smiles on the markets: the American Central Bank (Fed) and its president Jerome Powell showed on Wednesday that monetary policy remained accommodating with overnight rates practically at zero, promised until 2023.

On the front lines of the fight against the pandemic, a week after recommending the authorization of a first vaccine against Covid-19, the American health authority, the FDA, met Thursday to assess the remedy developed by the American company Moderna.

The first injections are expected as early as next week.

In Europe, the authorization of Moderna's vaccine is expected to be reviewed on January 6.

The title of Moderna Laboratories climbed 5.09% while Pfizer, whose vaccine was administered to the first Americans this week, advanced 0.49%.

Almost all sectors of the S&P 500 were in the green, with real estate (+ 1.21%) and materials (+ 1.18%) leading the way.

The Commerce Department released a good indicator of new housing starts in the United States.

They rose by 1.2% in November, a surprise increase which confirms the good health of the real estate sector fueled by almost zero interest rates.

Among the actions of the day, Twitter, in verve the day before, continued to rise (+ 1.18%).

Google (Alphabet), which is the subject of a third complaint from states for anti-competitive practices, lost 0.86%.

Tesla's rise, due to make its official debut on the S&P 500 on Monday, was irresistible.

The title of the manufacturer of high-end electric cars ended up 5.32% to 655.90 dollars, a new record.

© 2020 AFP