"Sure, 27,000 is just a number and in the whole scope of things isn't meaningful," said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist for LPL Financial. "What it is though is a reminder for all investors that this bull market has ignored all the scary headlines for years and the dual benefit of fiscal and monetary policy could mean it has a lot longer to go than most expect."
The S&P 500 rose 6.84 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 2,999.91. The index set three straight record highs last week.
The Dow gained 227.88 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 27,088.08. The Nasdaq composite gave up an early gain, sliding 6.49 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 8,196.04. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks dropped 7.13 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 1,557.92.
Major stock indexes in Europe fell.
Stocks rose from the get-go Thursday as investors looked ahead to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell testifying before a Congressional committee for the second straight day.
Powell stressed that the Fed is prepared to cut interest rates to support the economy, raising hopes that the first reduction in its key policy rate in a decade could happen later this month.
He noted that "uncertainties around trade tensions and concerns about the strength of the global economy continue to weigh on the U.S. economic outlook."
New government data released Thursday showed consumer prices rose in June from a year earlier. The bump in inflation wasn't expected to give the Fed reason to reconsider whether it should lower rates, if necessary. Inflation has remained muted through much of the economy's 10-year expansion, which Powell has said cited as a justification for potentially lowering rates.
The early rally weakened by early afternoon after bond yields spiked following weak demand at an auction for 30-year Treasurys. That pulled bond prices lower, driving the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note to 2.14 per cent from 2.06 per cent late Wednesday, a big move.
"The markets were higher at the beginning of the day based on Powell's testimony and him confirming what the futures markets have been telling us for a whole month: That we were going to get a rate cut," said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. "But then we had this Treasury auction, which apparently didn't go so hot."
The surge in bond yields marked a reversal from recent weeks, when many investors funneled money into bonds and other less-risky assets amid growing anxiety over the U.S. trade conflicts and signs of a slowing global economy.
The move had a swift effect on real estate stocks, utilities and other high-dividend stocks that lose their appeal when bond yields rise. Real estate investment trusts took the heaviest losses. Iron Mountain slid 7.5 per cent.
Banks benefited from the surge in bond yields. When bond yields climb, they push up the interest rates that lenders charge for mortgages and other loans, making them more profitable. Bank of America rose 1.2 per cent and Goldman Sachs gained 2.6 per cent.
Pharmaceutical makers dropped after the White House scrapped a plan to overhaul a system of rebates those companies pay to insurers and distributors. Merck & Co. dropped 4.5 per cent.
The move gave drugstore chains and health insurers a boost, however. Cigna surged 9.2 per cent, CVS Health gained 4.7 per cent, UnitedHealth climbed 5.5 per cent and Anthem rose 5.5 per cent.
Traders also weighed a mix of corporate earnings reports, Delta Air Lines and aviation maintenance company Air notched gains after their latest quarterly results topped Wall Street's forecasts. Bed Bath & Beyond and Fastenal slumped on disappointing results.
Corporate earnings will keep investors busy starting next week, when S&P 500 companies begin reporting results for the April-June quarter.
Companies have been lowering expectations for how much profit they made in the quarter. Wall Street now projects that overall S&P 500 company earnings for the quarter fell 2.6 per cent from a year earlier, according to FactSet. As recently as the end of March, earnings were forecast to be down only 0.5 per cent.
This could be the first time in three years that S&P 500 companies report a back-to-back decline in overall earnings.
"The bars for earnings have been set sufficiently low to keep expectations in check," said Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris Financial Group. "We will hear lots about the impact of tariffs, but not much else."
Benchmark crude oil fell 23 cents to settle at US$60.20 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped 49 cents to close at US$66.52 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to US$1.99 per gallon. Heating oil declined 1 cent to US$1.98 per gallon. Natural gas fell 2 cents to US$2.42 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Gold fell US$5.80 to US$1,404.30 per ounce, silver fell 8 cents to US$15.07 per ounce and copper fell 1 cent to US$2.68 per pound.
The dollar rose to 108.47 Japanese yen from 108.42 yen on Wednesday. The euro strengthened to US$1.1258 from US$1.1253.
- AP
