S&P 500 jumps 1% to a record high, posts its fourth positive day in a row; European markets close mixed as earnings, coronavirus remain in focus; BOE holds rates 
U.S. stocks jumped on Thursday, extending the rally into a fourth straight day as investors assessed a new batch of corporate earnings and solid economic data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average popped 332.26 points, or 1.1%, to 31,055.86, closing near its session high. The S&P 500 climbed 1.1% to a record closing high of 3,871.74, supported by communication services and financials. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.2% to 13,777.74, also reaching a new high. 
A better-than-expected jobless claims report helped boost sentiment. First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 779,000 for the week ended Jan. 30, below the 830,000 estimate from economists surveyed by Dow Jones. 
EBay jumped more than 5% after beating on both the top and bottom lines and issuing a rosier-than-expected forecast for the first quarter. PayPal gained more than 7% after strong quarterly results, while Qualcomm slipped over 8% after reporting revenues below consensus estimates for its fiscal first quarter. 
Apple rose 2.6% after CNBC reported that it is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to produce driverless cars. 

European stocks closed mixed on Thursday as investors remained focused on earnings reports and developments on the coronavirus pandemic. 
The pan-European Stoxx 600 finished up 0.5% but with different indexes pointing in different directions. Banks added 2.7% following the Bank of England’s comments on negative interest rates, while utilities fell 0.5%. 
The lackluster trade for European markets came as investors remained focused on the latest earnings this quarter, with reports Thursday from Deutsche Bank, Unilever, Shell, Royal Mail, Infineon, BT, ABB, Roche, Dassault Systemes and Enel. 
Reporting before the opening bell, Deutsche Bank beat earnings expectations for 2020 as it emerges from the coronavirus crisis, led by a strong performance in its investment banking division. Shares of Germany’s largest lender closed 0.1% lower. 
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reported a sharp drop in full-year profit with the pandemic hitting demand, and taking a heavy toll on the global oil and gas industry. The company’s stock slipped 1.5%. 
Bayer shares climbed 5% after the German pharmaceutical giant reached a $2 billion deal to settle future compensation claims in the U.S. over cancers linked to its Roundup weedkiller. 
At the bottom of the European blue chip index, consumer goods group Unilever fell 6% after full-year results. 
Source: CNBC