Wall Street stocks rose again Thursday, extending the market’s winning streak to a fourth day and putting the main indexes on track for weekly gains.

The S&P 500 gained 1.5%. Its recent advance extends the benchmark index’s winning run to the longest since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 1.1%, while the Nasdaq increased by 2.3%.

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Small-company stocks outperformed the overall market, indicating that some investors remain optimistic about economic development. The Russell 2000 increased by 2.4%.

The majority of the market rose, with energy firms leading the way as oil prices regained some of their earlier-in-the-week steep losses. However, the bond market remains concerned about a probable recession.

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The S&P 500 rose 57.54 points to 3,902.62, as roughly three-fourths of the stocks in the index rose. The Dow rose 346.87 points to 31,384 and the Nasdaq rose 259.49 points to 11,621.35. The Russell 2000 gained 42.06 points to 1,769.60.

Companies that benefit the most from a healthy economy led the gains, with technology stocks doing much of the heavy lifting. Apple rose 2.4%.

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The energy sector also rose as U.S. crude oil prices climbed 4.3% after falling the last few days. Exxon Mobil rose 3.2%.

The major indexes are on pace for weekly gains in what has been turbulent trading over the last several months. The volatility reflects growing worries among investors that the economy is slowing under the weight of surging inflation and sharply higher interest rates, pressures that could tip the economy into a recession.

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Despite this week’s rally in the stock market, bond investors continue to signal anxiety over a potential recession. New data Thursday showed that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits topped the 230,000 mark for the fifth consecutive week. While claims remain low, last week was the highest level of claims in almost six months.

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The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3% from 2.91% late Wednesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury is above the 10-year yield, a relatively rare thing seen by some investors as an ominous sign.

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The key concern is that the Fed’s interest rate hikes could go too far in slowing economic growth and actually bring on a recession. After last month’s meeting, the Fed raised its rate by three-quarters of a point to a range of 1.5% to 1.75% — the biggest single increase in nearly three decades — and signalled that further large hikes would likely be needed.

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The recession concerns have been weighing heavily on markets. Every major index is in a slump for the year and the benchmark S&P 500 is in a bear market, or down at 20% from its most recent high. The market is not likely going to regain ground until Wall Street gets clearer signals that inflation is cooling.