⁍ U.S. stocks gained on Wednesday as data showing an expansion in services industry last month added to optimism.

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⁍ Better-than-feared corporate results and a surge in shares of heavyweight technology companies have fueled a stimulus-driven rally in Wall Street’s main indexes.

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– US employers ramped up hiring last month, adding 167,000 jobs—more than economists had expected—and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 26,000 for the first time, the Wall Street Journal reports. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also were up in early trading, per Reuters.