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| - Wall Street's cautious initial gains accelerated in early trading Thursday after Ryanair confirmed an order for Boeing's 737 MAX jets following a successful US test flight. With the grounded jet closer to returning to the skies, Boeing shares took flight, gaining 5.5 percent, and that pulled airlines higher as well. About an hour into the trading session, the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average had gained 0.4 percent to push back above 30,000 to 30,005.13 The broader S&P 500 pushed past the record close Wednesday, gaining 0.2 percent to 3,677.94, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.6 percent to 12,422.99. New of Irish airline Ryanair's order of 75 MAX planes came after American Airlines conducted a test flight for media, the latest effort to reassure the flying public following two deadly crashes that led to a lengthy grounding of the top-selling plane. American surged 8.7 percent, and other travel shares also gained. In economic data, a bigger-than-expected drop in initial US jobless claims added to the positive sentiment, even while the total number of Americans receiving benefits remains far above pre-pandemic levels. Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the ISM services sector report showed growth slowed in November, and many firms remain cautious about the outlook. hs/cs
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