European and Asian markets were rising on Thursday as the U.S. took the day off for the Fourth of July holiday. Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.8% higher. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.3%. Over in Europe, the U.K. FTSE 100 was rising 0.6% as Britons went to the polls in a general election. Germany’s DAX gained 0.4%, while France’s CAC 40 added 0.6%.

The S&P 500 on July 2 closed north of the 5,500-point mark for the first time, extending the benchmark's 2024 gain to 15.5%.

The S&P 500 neared a new record high as stocks were propelled by dovish remarks from Jerome Powell, as well as new signs of a cooling labor market.