The U.S. economy is looking strong, and that sent the stock market sharply higher on Thursday. As of 3 p.m. EDT, several indexes were at or near all-time highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) climbing 264 points to 33,995. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) had gained 42 points to 4,167, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) was up 164 points to 14,022.
Up-and-coming disruptive stocks have gotten a lot of headlines lately, but don't count out some of the oldest and best-established blue chip companies in the stock market. Today, both UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) gave investors their latest results, and both businesses look like they have the staying power to keep growing well into the future.
Shares of UnitedHealth climbed more than 3%, making it the biggest gainer in the Dow. The health insurance giant posted strong first-quarter financial results that pointed to just how solid the fundamentals of the healthcare industry are right now.
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These 2 Secure Blue Chip Stocks Look Stronger Than Ever