S&P 500 closes at record high, helped by weaker dollar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended sharply stronger on Thursday and the S&P 500 closed at a record high as a weaker dollar offered the possibility of stronger sales for U.S. multinationals.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 191.75 points, or 1.06 percent, to 18,252.24, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 22.59 points, or 1.08 percent, to 2,121.07 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 69.10 points, or 1.39 percent, to 5,050.80.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Nick Zieminski)