US stocks
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed the 22,000 mark for the first time in its history on Wednesday (2 August), following a strong set of financials by technology giant Apple.

The US blue chip index, which lists 30 premier American stocks, traded 0.23% higher to reach 22,014.32 at the market open.

Apple's stock, which surged nearly 6% in the pre-market trading, soared after its results beat market expectations, rising by as much as 6.22% at one point to $159.68.

Overnight, the company reported strong sales of iPhones, iPads, and other products and services.

While issuing an upbeat forecast for its iPhone 8 handset, Apple also posted earnings per share of $1.67 on revenue of $45.4bn (£34.3bn), beating market expectations in the $44bn range.

It has taken the Dow just a little over five months to jump to 22,000 from 21,000, and register a growth of nearly 11% since the start of the year, based on strong corporate earnings overall.

According to Reuters' data, Boeing shares have made the most impact on the price-weighted blue chip index, contributing 380.29 points since 1 March, followed by McDonald's and UnitedHealth Group with 171.14 and 166.35 points respectively.