While you were sleeping: Fresh record for Wall Street

By Margreet Dietz Aug. 27 (BusinessDesk) - Wall Street advanced, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a fresh record high, as better-than-expected economic data as well as takeover deals underlined an optimistic outlook for corporate profits. A report showed that US orders for durable goods posted the largest gain on record in July, jumping 22.6 percent. Separately, consumer confidence strengthened to the highest level in nearly seven years in August as the Conference Board’s index of consumer attitudes climbed to 92.4 from a downwa...