The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed a hair above 2,000 points Tuesday, 16 years after it finished above 1,000 for the first time.

The move extended the stock index's record-shattering run this year.

The latest milestone comes as investors see new signs that the economy is strengthening, a driver of stronger company earnings.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence this month reached its highest point in nearly seven years, boosted by strong job gains.The Conference Board said Tuesday that its confidence index rose for a fourth straight month to 92.4 from 90.3 in July. The August reading is the highest since October 2007, two months before the Great Recession officially began.The optimism suggests that Americans will be more likely to spend in the months ahead, an important boost to the economy. Consumer spending drives about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.