After touching a record high in intraday trading,the Dow ended the day just below breakeven, snapping a four-session win streak. However, the S&Pand Nasdaq both finished at record closing highs, and have yet to end a session in 2018 in the red. A rally in several tech and retail stocks helped push the indexes higher, though bank stocks pulled back ahead of the start of fourth-quarter earnings season.
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Breaking down stocks' best start to a year in over a decade.How President Oprah sent this stock skyrocketing.The latest stock boosted by blockchain.Plus, Nvidia's new partner; an upbeat note for Albemarle; and the meal delivery stock with options at a bargain.The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 25,283.00) ended its winning streak, dropping 12.9 points, or 0.1%. Caterpillar (CAT) led the 14 Dow winners with a 2.5% gain, Intel (INTC) finished flat, and UnitedHealth (UNH) paced the losers with a 1.7% loss.
The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,747.71) added 4.6 points, or 0.2%, for the day, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 7,157.39) picked up 20.8 points, or 0.3%.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 9.52) closed up 0.3 point, or 3.3%, on the day.
There were no earnings of note today.
Data courtesy of Trade-Alert
February-dated crude finished the session higher, amid lingering geopolitical tensionsin the Middle East. Crude managed a gain of 29 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $61.73 per barrel.
Gold ended its record 12-session winning streak today, as the dollar strengthened slightly. February-dated gold finished the day $1.90, or 0.1%, lower, to $1,320.40 per ounce.