U.S. Stocks Close Higher

U.S. stocks closed higher today, Monday, at the end of a month that saw strong performance amid investor optimism regarding corporate earnings and hopes for the strength of the U.S. economy and its ability to avoid recession. The three main stock indices on Wall Street recorded monthly gains, ahead of a busy week that will see many companies, such as Amazon and Apple, announce their earnings reports, along with the release of other economic data like the jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 100.24 points, or 0.28 percent, closing at 35,559.53 points. The S&P 500 closed up by 6.73 points, or 0.15 percent, at 4,588.96 points, while the Nasdaq Composite increased by 29.37 points, or 0.21 percent, to 14,346.02 points.