The Dow Jones Industrial Average midday Thursday jumped by about 250 points in afternoon trade, with the intraday rally putting the benchmark at its highest level in about 7 weeks. The Dow most recently, was up 247 points, or 1%, at 24,790, representing its highest level since March 16, according to FactSet data. The rally for blue chips reflects a broad-based rally in equities that has seen the S&P 500 index jump 1% to 2,725, also its highest level since March 16, and the Nasdaq Composite Index advance by 0.9% at 7,412, representing its highest level since mid March. Thursday's trading action also pushed the Dow in to positive territory for 2018 for the first time in about three weeks, joining its peer benchmarks the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.