S&P 500 makes it 6 weeks of gains as economic signals brighten

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.9 per cent to end the week 21,005.71

US stocks advanced for the sixth consecutive week, as economic data sailed past forecasts and shares of financial companies rose with higher bond yields.

So strong were signals on growth in the US and beyond that investors were left almost completely unfazed by the surging odds of a Federal Reserve interest rate increase, as the likelihood priced by Fed funds futures more than doubled. Chair Janet Yellen on Friday capped the week of rising expectations by explicitly supporting a hike if economic progress persists. 

The S&P 500 nevertheless rose for the fifth time in seven days.

The benchmark gauge for American equity added