The Dow was down triple digits at its session low
A fresh round of trade headlines put pressure on stocks early on, and sent the Dow down 193 points at its intraday low. However, strong sessions for Dow newcomer Walgreens Boot Alliance (WBA) and big-cap tech stocks helped the blue-chip index battle back into positive territory by the close -- and pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher to start the third quarter, as well. The whipsaw trading comes amid what's set to be a low-volume week, with the U.S. stock market closing early tomorrow and shuttered all day Wednesday for the Fourth of July holiday.
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The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,726.71) briefly dipped below 2,700 in intraday trading, before settling with an 8.3-point, or 0.3%, gain. The Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 7,567.69) outperformed its major index peers to add 57.4 points, or 0.8%.
The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 15.60) hit an intraday high of 18.08 before closing down 0.5 point, or 3.1%.
There were no major earnings reports today.
Data courtesy of Trade-Alert
Oil prices slipped today, after President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend about a potential deal with Saudi Arabia to ramp up crude production. August-dated crude fell 21 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $73.94 per barrel.
A stronger U.S. dollar pressured gold prices today. Gold futures dated for August delivery gave back $12.80, or 1%, to close at $1,241.70 an ounce -- a new year-to-date low.