U.S. stocks closed at a record highs Tuesday after reports on auto sales and factory orders provided the latest evidence that the U.S. economy is strengthening. Health insurers powered the gains a day after the government released revised reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage plans. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 89.16 points, or 0.6 percent, at 14,662.01. The Dow broke through an all-time record on March 5. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.08 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,570.25. That eclipsed the index's record closing high of 1,569.19 set Thursday. It rose to within two points of its intraday trading high of 1,576 reached on Oct. 11, 2007. Health care stocks rose the most of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index, adding 1.4 percent. The sector is up 17.1 percent this year. Traders were relieved about the insurers' prospects after Monday's news about Medicare Advantage rates. DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. led the S&P 500 higher. Also among the S&P 500's top 15 gainers were Humana Inc., Aetna Inc. and Cigna Corp. UnitedHealth rose $2.77, or 4.7 percent, to $61.74. DaVita rose $7.29, or 6.1 percent, to $127.20. Humana gained $4.09, or 5.5 percent, to $79.11. Aetna rose $1.92, or 3.7 percent, to $54.30. Cigna added $1.84, or 2.9 percent, to $64.75. Airline stocks fell sharply after Delta Air Lines Inc. said a key measure of revenue was hurt last month by government spending cuts, a technical glitch and attempts to get passengers to pay more. Delta fell $1.31, or 8.1 percent, to $14.94. United Continental Holdings Inc. lost $1.59, or 5.1 percent, to $29.38. US Airways Group Inc. fell 93 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $15.74. JetBlue Airways Corp. dropped 40 cents, or 5.9 percent, to $6.34. The industry dragged the Dow Jones transportation average down 1.2 percent. The index fell even more on Monday, 1.5 percent, after U.S. manufacturing slowed more than economists forecast in March. The index, which includes airlines like Delta, United and freight companies FedEx and UPS, has gained 14.7 percent this year. The manufacturing report was "much weaker than expected," according to Jim Russell, an investment director at US Bank. He said companies that are closely tied to the economic cycle "have really taken on some water because of what that implies." For the second day in a row, small stocks underperformed the market. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks fell 4.49 points, or 0.5 percent, to 934.20. The Russell had risen more than large-company indexes in the first quarter, gaining 12 percent versus 11.3 percent for the Dow and 10 percent for the S&P. The Nasdaq composite rose 15.69, or 0.5 percent, to 3,254.86. Shares fell $1.21, or 5.2 percent, to $22.10. The stock rose $1.46, or 3.8 percent, to $39.87. The stock added $4.22 or 4.6 percent, to $96.68. AP Business Writer Steve Rothwell in New York contributed to this report.