Stocks rise and S&P 500 nears record high

New York CNN — US stocks opened higher on Thursday and the benchmark S&P 500 was just a whisker away from hitting an all-time high. The Dow was higher by 200 points, or 0.48%. The broader S&P 500 gained 0.37% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4%. Stocks pushed higher amid a flurry of economic …