US stocks hit fresh record highs, Nasdaq outperform

Major US equity indices opened with modest gains on Thursday. Though tepid, the gains were enough to lift all the three major indices to fresh record highs. 

Technology stocks outperformed the broader indices, with tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index climbing over 25-points to 6,560. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added around 20-points to 22,682 and the broader S&P 500 Index gained nearly 5-points to 2,542. 

The market seems to have largely ignored shrugged off a possible change of leadership at the Federal Reserve, with today's better-than-expected weekly jobless claims and US trade balance data providing some positive impetus. 

Meanwhile, hawkish comments by influential FOMC members, further reinforcing December Fed rate hike expectations, portrayed upbeat economic outlook and remained supportive of the ongoing record setting bullish run in the markets. 

Additional gains, however, are likely to be limited as investors are likely to refrain from placing aggressive bets ahead of Friday's keenly watched US monthly jobs report, popularly known as NFP, which is known to trigger volatility across global financial markets.