Stocks surge to new heights

Another rally on Wall Street powered stock indexes to more records Thursday. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite notched all-time highs, extending the market's gains after a strong start to the year. A batch of solid economic data injected more optimism into markets a day after the signing of an initial trade deal between the U.S. and China. Consumers have been the backbone of economic growth and the government's December report on retail sales showed that they continued spending at a healthy pace. Encouraging reports on...