Dow Industrials Score a 20-point Boost From Caterpillar, Boeing Stock Gains

Shares of Caterpillar and Boeing on Thursday were contributing about 20 points to a healthy rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The pair of Dow components were both adding about 10 points each to the price-weighted gauge, with Caterpillar Inc. rising by 1.5% and Boeing Co. climbing 0.8% in early trade. Most recently, the Dow was up 0.3% at 21,076. Overall, the U.S. stock market was enjoying an uptrend that has taken the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite Index to touch intraday records, putting equities on pace to extend a string of consecutive advances to a sixth day, following a rough week, driven lower by heightened fear of political risk in the White House.