The Dow finished above 25,000 points for the first time Thursday as strong employment data extended a stocks rally already boosted by the recent US tax reform.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.6 percent to close at 25,073.24.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.4 percent to 2,723.88, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.2 percent to 7,076.02, both adding to records from Wednesday.