US stocks- S&P 500 hits record

US stocks rose in afternoon trading on Tuesday, lifting the S&P 500 to a record high as healthcare shares extended gains. Actavis Plc, Gilead, Celgene and other biotech names were among the S&P 500's biggest drivers, a day after Allergan agreed to be bought by Actavis. The Nasdaq biotech index was up 2.2 per cent. The S&P health care index was up 1.4 per cent, while shares of Actavis were up 7.7 per cent, Gilead's rose 2.9 per cent and shares of Celgene were up 2.4 per cent. Helping Actavis were bullish analyst notes. At 1:28 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average rose 54.61 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 17,702.36, the S&P 500 gained 11.74 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 2,053.06 and the Nasdaq Composite added 35.18 points, or 0.75 per cent, to 4,706.19. The S&P 500 hit yet another record high, reaching 2,053.26, according to Reuters.