U.S. Stocks Extend Rally as Russell 2000 Reaches Record

The Russell 2000 Index climbed to an all-time high and the Nasdaq Composite Index reached a level unseen since 2000 as an equities rally that started last week continued through one of the slowest trading days of the year.

The Russell 2000 of small-cap companies gained 0.7 percent to a record 1,215.21 at 4 p.m. in New York. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.7 percent to the highest level since March 2000, as biotechnology companies rebounded a second day. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.3 percent to 2,088.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 23.50 points, or 0.1 percent, to 18,053.71. About 3.3 billion shares traded hands on U.S. exchanges, the second-lightest day of trading this year. The slowest was on Dec. 24, when the market closed at 1 p.m.