Dow ends at 3rd straight record high, European shares flat

US stocks closed modestly higher today, with the Dow hitting its third straight record as jobless claims data pointed to a pick-up in the labour market's recovery a day before the closely watched payrolls report.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 33.25 points, or 0.23 percent, to end at 14,329.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.80 points, or 0.18 percent, to finish at 1,544.26. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 9.72 points, or 0.30 percent, to close at 3,232.09.

European shares erased gains to trade flat during a European Central Bank press conference today, in which Mario Draghi was non-committal as to whether he felt equity markets were fairly priced at current lofty levels.

The FTSEurofirst 300 was trading flat at 1,185.71 by 1425 GMT, off an earlier peak of 1,190.25.

Japan's Nikkei average rose to a 4-1/2-year high for a second day in a row, boosted by expectations of more aggressive monetary policy, though the index failed to close above the key 12,000-mark.

The Nikkei ended 0.3 percent higher at 11,968.08 points, extending its winning streak to six straight sessions, after climbing as high as 12,069.60 earlier in the day.