Market Roundup: New Record Highs Reached by Dow and S&P

Published: July 15, 2019, 7:38 p.m.

The major indices started the week closing lower on investors’ concerns about interest rates, despite the previous week’s strong monthly employment report. Healthcare and Technology sectors weighed on the market while the Utilities sector showed relative strength. Market moves were mixed Tuesday ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony before Congress, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing in the red zone while the S&P 500 Index and NASDAQ Composite posted gains. Indices ended in green territory on Wednesday, with the NASDAQ closing at a new record high and the S&P 500 briefly rising above 3,000 for the first time. Stocks rallied on the release of the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee as well as the semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress. Comments from both suggested the central bank would cut interest rates. Indices ended with mixed moves on Thursday, as both the Dow and the S&P closed at record highs while the NASDAQ traded fractionally lower. Several Healthcare sector brands stepped up after the White House announced it would withdraw from a proposal that would curb drug pricing. On another note, initial jobless claims decreased last week. Labor Department figures showed new claims fell by 13,000 to 209,000 for the week ended July 6. Indices ended the week with gains as the Dow, S&P, and NASDAQ closed at all-time record highs as Technology sector stocks stepped up.