The Dow added 70 points, or 0.7%, ending at 10,927.07, its highest close since Sept. 26, 2008. The blue-chip indicator rose to within 43 points of 11,000

US stocks closed higher on Thursday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 index ending at a fresh 18-month highs as Wall Street kicked off a new quarter on a firm note. Oil and other commodities rallied as economic reports from across the globe lifted hopes of a global recovery. The Dow added 70 points, or 0.7%, ending at 10,927.07, its highest close since Sept. 26, 2008. The blue-chip indicator rose to within 43 points of 11,000, a key psychological indicator, before pulling back. The Dow touched an intraday high of 10,956.30. The S&P 500 gained 9 points, or 0.7%, to finish at 1,178.10. Gains in materials and energy shares led the advance in the broad index. The Nasdaq added 5 points, or 0.2%, to 2,402.58.