Stocks notch higher closing records, Dow ends up 134

The Dow and S&P 500 stock indexes surged higher Thursday, pushing further into record territory as investors reacted positively to a better-than-expected earnings report from JPMorgan Chase and continued to price in further stimulus from global central bankers.

The historic, post-Brexit rally on Wall Street continued with the Dow Jones industrial average ending up 134 points, or 0.7%, extending its record-setting run to 18,506.41 following Wednesday's record close of 18,372.12. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 stock index posted its fourth day of record highs, rallying 0.5% to its new milestone of 2,163.75. The Nasdaq composite, which kicked the session off down 4.1% from its July 2015 record and relatively unchanged for the year, gained 0.6%.

Investors got a boost from a strong profit report from JPMorgan (JPM), the nation's second largest bank by assets. The high-profile and closely watched bank reported second-quarter earnings per share of $1.55, easily surpassing the $1.43 analysts had forecast. Revenue also topped expectations. JP Morgan shares jumped more than 2%.

JPMorgan earnings drop but beat estimates on loan growth, higher deposits

Most Wall Street pros say corporate earnings need to pick up for the recent rally to be sustainable.

Wall Street was also reacting to a decision by the Bank of England to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. It was the first meeting of the BOE following the June 23 vote by Britain to exit the European Union, and investors were expecting a quarter-point rate cut. Still, the BOE said it expects "monetary policy to be loosened in August," when it meets again.

Stocks around the globe have rallied sharply in the aftermath of the so-called Brexit vote. The rebound rally has been driven in large pary by a realization that global central bankers will further stimulate economies to offset the fallout and uncertainty caused by Britiain's surprise vote to leave the single-market European Union.

Stocks in Europe were higher Thursday, with the broad Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.8%, and stocks in Germany and France also higher.

The British pound also rallied on the BOE news, gaining 1.5%. The pound had cratered to a 31-year low versus the U.S. dollar following the Brexit vote. Britain's FTSE fell 0.2%.

So-called safe haven investments were selling off. The price of the 10-year U.S. Treasury were falling, pushing up the yield, which moves in the opposite direction, to 1.53%, up from 1.47% Thursday.

Gold, another perceived haven, was off more than $20 per ounce, or 1.5%, to $1323.10.