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U.S. stocks gained steam on Thursday, reaching record highs in the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Stocks struggled to determine direction as Wall Street took a slight pause after two days of record-making runs. The S&P 500

U.S. stocks moved higher on Wednesday, building on Tuesday's record closing levels in the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The S&P 500

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, following Monday's record high closing in the S&P 500, as second quarter earnings season began.

Stocks look to continue the recent rally with more gains today. The S & P 500 is on track for fresh record highs at the open this morning. Alcoa

The S&P 500 closed at a record high Monday, as investors awaited the start of second quarter earnings season. U.S. stocks were lifted by a better-than-expected jobs report for June, released last Friday.

U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday with

Wall Street closed out the holiday-shortened week with a bang. Stocks bagged major gains after a blowout jobs report brought relief over the state of the U.S. economy. A dismal May jobs number had sparked concern the economy was in worse shape than expected.

Stocks jumped after the latest reading on the U.S. labor market brought relief over the strength of the economy. The S&P 500 reversed all losses suffered in the Brexit selloff and the Dow returned to a level above 18,000. Banking stocks spiked as the jobs report reintroduced the possibility of a rate hike this year. Bank of America , Wells Fargo , Citigroup and JPMorgan each moved higher after the release. Juno Therapeutics slumped after the FDA put one of its cancer drugs on a mid-stage clinical hold after the death of two patients undergoing treatment. The biotech company has requested the trial continue without the use of the chemical suspected as a factor in the deaths. Humana was downgraded to NEUTRAL from OVERWEIGHT at JPMorgan. The firm sees a lower probability of a deal with Aetna given regulatory hurdles.

It's a tough morning again. 5 police officers have been killed in Dallas and 6 wounded by a sniper ambush in Dallas. The shootings happened during a Black Lives Matter protest over recent police shootings. 3 people were taken into custody and a 4th shooter reportedly killed himself early in the morning. Police call the shootings carefully planned and executed. It is also a jobs report day. The Labor Department will release job growth and the unemployment rate for June. A survey of economists projects 177,000 jobs gained in June, which would be a massive rebound from May when the United States added a mere 38,000 jobs. The United States is banning Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes from running a medical lab for two years. It's a major setback for the embattled blood-testing firm and its once widely lauded founder. The government's moves follow a review last year of the Newark, California plant which came after questions about the effectiveness of its technology.

A sharp selloff in crude kept stocks mostly in the red, though optimism ahead of Friday's jobs reports kept losses to a minimum. Oil closed at a two-month low after a disappointing read on weekly inventories. Humana shares tumbled their most in nearly four years on worries its planned purchase of Aetna won't pass regulatory muster. Officials from both companies will reportedly meet with the Department of Justice tomorrow to discuss antitrust issues. BioMarin Pharmaceuticals soared on speculation Roche could pursue a takeover. Shares spiked around 9%, though the reports are so far unconfirmed. First Solar tumbled after Deutsche Bank downgraded to HOLD from BUY. The firm said increased competition from Chinese suppliers is providing risk to margins, while company bookings growth has likely slowed.

Stocks wavered despite signs of improvement in the U.S. labor market ahead of Friday's jobs report. Nonfarm payrolls in June will be closely scrutinized for signs that weakness in May was momentary. Crude oil turned lower after a smaller-than-expected decline in U.S. inventories. Stockpiles fell by just over two million barrels in the past week, around a third of what analysts hoped for. Pivotal Research now sees Comcast shares reaching $75, 15% higher than current levels. Analysts reiterated a buy rating and said higher data speed should drive revenue. Avast Software agreed to buy antivirus software developer AVG Technologies in a deal worth roughly $1.3 billion. The purchase expands Avast's presence in security software.

U.S. stocks turned mixed on Thursday, paring earlier losses, on the heels of improving labor market data. The private sector added 172,000 positions

European stocks are gaining steam today. Crude oil is also recovering. All this as Wall Street is counting down to jobs Friday tomorrow. Tomorrow's numbers from the Labor Department follow an exceptionally weak jobs report last month. No doubt the Federal Reserve will be watching to see if last month was a one-off or if there is a slowing of job growth. A big food deal came together overnight. France's Danone said it would double the size of its U.S. business by buying organic food producer Whitewave Foods in a deal that values the company at $12.5 billion, including debt. Whitewave is the owner of Silk Almond Milk, Earthbound Farm Organic Salads as well as other brands. The head of the FBI James Comey head to Capitol Hill today to face a grilling. Comey will answer questions on why he chose not to charge presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton with a crime for setting up her own email server while serving as Secretary of State.