The Dow Jones industrial average reached a milestone today in Wall Street’s near seven-year recovery from corporate upheaval, economic recession and terrorism, briefly trading above its record high close of 11,722.98 set on January 14, 2000.

Wall Street nudged higher to fresh 19-month highs today as a trio of economic reports – one on gross domestic product, the others on consumer sentiment and spending – provided investors with additional evidence of an improving economy.