S&P 500, Dow end at records on earnings optimism; oil gains

By Sam Forgione NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two major U.S. stock indexes set fresh record closing highs on Thursday on investors’ optimism about big banks’ second-quarter earnings, while European shares also rose and oil prices rebounded from the previous session’s bruising losses. Expectations of more stimulus from the Bank of England and Bank of Japan have contributed to stocks’ gains in the past week. The view that the U.S. economy is on solid footing, as well as reduced poli