(The Closing Bell will be updated sometime after 4:00 PM CDST to include the latest updates from IBD and Bloomberg Evening Briefing.)
FYI: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose a fourth straight session, pushing the blue-chip index above its record closing level in intraday trading Wednesday.
The Dow industrials gained 179 points, or 0.67%, ahead of its early close Wednesday before Thursday’s Independence Day holiday. The index surpassed its Oct. 3 milestone soon after the opening bell and would be the last of the major U.S. benchmarks to hit a record this year. Shares of UnitedHealth Group UNH +0.48% and Home Depot led the 30-stock index higher, as investors continued their steady buying of stocks this week.
Indexes have been climbing, albeit slowly, since last weekend’s truce between the U.S. and China eased investors’ fears of an all-out trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. But the cease-fire only put additional tariffs on hold indefinitely, leaving investors concerned that lingering frictions could give way to another flare-up in trade tensions and market volatility.
Eyes now turn to the Federal Reserve and whether it will cut interest rates this year—a move that would support further stock gains, analysts said.
On Wednesday, shares of UnitedHealth Group led the Dow industrials higher, followed by Home Depot and Procter & Gamble to help lift the index above its Oct. 3 record of 26828.39. The Dow also previously topped its record closing level in intraday trading last month and again Monday but fell back below the record before markets closed.
The S&P 500 also edged higher, adding 0.76% Wednesday as all 11 major sectors notched gains. The Nasdaq Composite also rose, adding 0.75%.
Shares of Symantec led the S&P 500 higher, adding 15% after the company landed takeover interest from Broadcom , which declined 2.4% in recent trading. Real-estate stocks, meanwhile, notched the biggest gains, rising 1.2%, while shares of utilities and consumer staples both rose 0.9% each.
Tesla rose 5.5% after the car maker said Tuesday it had delivered a record 95,200 vehicles in its latest quarter.
Elsewhere, the Stoxx Europe 600 added 0.8%, as shares of travel companies and food and beverage firms pushed the pan-European benchmark higher.
Asian stock markets, meanwhile, fell, with South Korea leading losses as the Kospi slipped 1.2% after the country lowered growth and inflation forecasts. Chinese stocks also declined, as the Shanghai Composite and the Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.9% and 0.1%, respectively.
Regards,
Ted
Bloomberg Evening Briefing:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-02/your-evening-briefingMarketWatch:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sp-500-heads-for-3rd-straight-record-ahead-of-private-sector-jobs-report-2019-07-03/printWSJ:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/european-stocks-shrug-off-asian-losses-to-rise-11562140918Bloomberg:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-02/asian-stocks-to-slip-treasury-rally-resumes-markets-wrap?srnd=premiumIBD:
https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/stock-market-rally-dow-jones-stock-nike-tesla-stock-lululemon/CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/stock-market-wall-street-in-focus-as-trade-optimism-fades.htmlReuters:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks/sp-500-hits-record-high-on-rising-rate-cut-hopes-idUSKCN1TY1MVU.K:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-stocks/ftse-100-hits-10-month-high-as-sterling-weakens-telford-soars-idUKKCN1TY0TFEurope:
https://www.reuters.com/article/europe-stocks/european-shares-slightly-higher-after-eu-picks-frances-lagarde-as-ecb-head-idUSL4N2441SAAsia:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-fall-as-trade-war-uncertainty-rises-again-2019-07-02/printBonds:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/us-bonds-treasury-yields-tick-lower-as-investors-monitor-data.htmlCurrencies:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/dollar-slides-after-trump-says-the-us-should-match-the-currency-manipulation-game.htmlOil:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/oil-markets-opec-global-demand-in-focus.htmlGold:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/03/gold-markets-global-trade-us-yields-in-focus.htmlWSJ: Markets At A Glance:
https://markets.wsj.com/usMajor ETFs % Change:
https://www.barchart.com/etfs-funds/etf-monitorSPDR's Sector Tracker:
http://www.sectorspdr.com/sectorspdr/tools/sector-trackerSPDR's Bloomberg Sector Performance Pie Chart:
https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/sectorsCurrent Futures:
https://finviz.com/futures.ashx 
