The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to its highest level since July, amid signs that manufacturing output is increasing in Australia and America.

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) added more than 4.3 percent as financial shares had the second-biggest gain among S&P 500 industries. Alcoa Inc. (AA) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) advanced at least 3.7 percent, pacing increases among the largest U.S. companies. Chevron Corp. (CVX) climbed 3.7 percent as the price of oil rose. Cisco Systems Inc. surged 3.4 percent after JPMorgan recommended investors buy the shares.

“The U.S. market has been cheering because of the fact the U.S. economy has been performing better,” Kevin Shacknofsky, who helps manage about $5 billion for Alpine Mutual Funds in New York, said in a telephone interview. “In line with everything else today, the manufacturing data is better than expected.”