Wall Street finishes holiday week with new multi-year highs

? Investors filled with holiday cheer sent Wall Street’s major indexes to new multi-year highs Thursday, extending the stock market’s winning steak despite a plummeting dollar and signs of weaker consumer spending.

In a session that ended with Santa Claus sounding the closing bell, investors looked past the dollar’s all-time low against the euro, which rose to $1.3483 against the greenback, surpassing its record high set Dec. 7. Although the weaker dollar raises the possibility of higher inflation, investors saw the U.S. currency’s decline as an opportunity to help close the trade deficit, since American goods will be less expensive abroad.

And stocks rose despite a Commerce Department report confirming that Americans had reined in their spending.

“Right now, there’s just no selling going on,” said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading at SG Cowen Securities. “There’s a lot of money being put to work before the end of the year, and I think that despite whatever news we get we’ll just continue drifting up.”

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 11.23, or 0.1 percent, to 10,827.12, its highest close since June 13. 2001.

Broader stock indicators were modestly higher. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was up 0.56, or 0.05 percent, at 1,210.13, the best close for the index since Aug. 3, 2001. The Nasdaq composite index gained 3.59, or 0.17 percent, at 2,160.62.

Stocks rallied through the holiday-shortened week, with investor optimism remaining high. The Dow reached new 3 1/2-year highs for three straight sessions, while the S&P saw its second straight high. The Nasdaq, struggling with disappointing earnings and outlooks from technology firms, failed to break the multiyear high set last week.

A surge since late October has lifted the market’s major indexes to levels not seen in three years, leaving a bullish tone on Wall Street. Analysts weigh in on how long they think the bull market will last.

Most financial markets around the world are scheduled to be closed today in observance of Christmas.