Less than six weeks after its first close above 6,000, the Dow Jones industrial average broke above 6,400 for the first time, gaining 32.42 to close at 6,430.02. The Dow has risen in 12 of the last 13 sessions with a gain of 408.09, or nearly 7 percent, over that stretch.
Advancers outnumbered decliners by a 9-to-7 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,382 up, 1,079 down and 857 unchanged. NYSE volume totaled 489.40 million shares vs. 454.41 million in yesterday.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 1.76 to 743.92, and the NYSE's composite index rose 1.00 to 392.80. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2.32 to 1,264.94, and the American Stock Exchange index rose 2.55 to 587.19.
The S&P 500 notched its ninth record finish in 13 sessions, and the New York Stock Exchange's composite index closed at a new high for the 10th time in 13 session.
Bonds rallied in the afternoon, pulling the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond - a key determinant of corporate and consumer borrowing costs - down to 6.40 percent, down from late yesterday's 6.43 percent and below last Thursday's eight-month low at 6.41 percent.
IBM - which had risen 17-1/4 points, or the equivalent of more than 50 Dow points, from Friday through yesterday - ended lower on a late wave of profit-taking.