New York - U.S. stocks rallied to extend the best April advance in four years, lifted by earnings that topped estimates from some of the biggest industrial and technology companies.Caterpillar Inc., Honeywell International Inc. and American Express Co. led the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a third consecutive record after their profit reports signaled the global economic expansion remains strong. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Nasdaq Composite Index climbed to six-year highs, buoyed by Google Inc.'s first-quarter rise in net income.
Better-than-expected results spurred analysts to boost estimates for first-quarter earnings growth at S&P 500 companies to 6.2 percent from last week's 3.1 percent, Bloomberg data show. The
Dow and S&P 500 are headed for their third straight weekly gain, the longest stretch since October.
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