(Reuters) -- The Dow closed above 13,000 for the first time since 2008 on Tuesday and the S&P 500 also hit a milestone, as buoyant U.S. consumer confidence data and a sharp drop in oil prices nudged the nearly five-month rally forward.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 23.61 points, or 0.18 percent, to close unofficially at 13,005.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 4.59 points, or 0.34 percent, to end unofficially at 1,372.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 20.60 points, or 0.69 percent, to finish unofficially at 2,986.76.

The Dow closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008 while the S&P ended above a May 2011 intraday high of 1,370.58.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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