S&P 500, Dow end at new record highs

Wall Street was back in the record territory on Tuesday after an upturn in small-company stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average ended at a record 15,215 while the Standard & Poor's 500 finished at a record 1,650.

A survey released on Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business found that small business owners were slightly more optimistic in April.

The report helped send the Russell 2000 index of small company stocks up 1.3 per cent, more than other market indexes.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 123 points, or 0.8 per cent, to close at a record 15,215. It was the 18th straight Tuesday of gains for the Dow.

The Standard and Poor's 500 index rose 16 points, or 1 per cent, to a record 1,650.

The Nasdaq composite rose 23 points to 3,462, a gain of 0.7 per cent.

Sony jumped 10 per cent after a hedge fund manager proposed that the company be broken up.