USA Women's Olympic Water Polo Goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson holds her gold medal as she poses for photos outside the New York Stock Exchange, before ringing the opening bell, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
By Damian J. Troise and Alex Veiga
Stocks capped another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street with modest gains Tuesday, as financial and industrial companies helped lift the market, outweighing a pullback in technology stocks.
The S&P 500 recovered from an early slip and eked out a 0.1% gain, enough to eclipse the record high it set Friday. The majority of companies in the benchmark index made gains, but they were kept in check by technology companies, which have an outsized weight on the S&P 500.
Banks made some of the strongest gains as bond yields edged higher. Banks benefit from higher yields, which allow them to charge higher interest rates on loans. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.35% from 1.31% late Monday.
Oil prices pulled up after sliding most of the last week and into Monday. U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 2.7% and helped lift the S&P 500's energy sector to 1.7% gain. Exxon Mobil rose 1.7% and Chevron gained 1.8%.
The broader market remains choppy with investors in the midst of a relatively quiet week. The latest round of corporate earnings is nearly finished and there are only a few pieces of economic data expected.
“We think this is a growing market and a growing economy and there’s room for this market to move,” said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategy director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “But that growth story does have some risk to it.”
The S&P 500 gained 4.40 points to 4,436.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 162.82 points, or 0.5%, to 35,264.67. The blue-chip index also notched an all-time high.
The slide in technology stocks weighed on the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which lost 72.09 points, or 0.5%, to 14,788.09. Small company stocks rose. The Russell 2000 index gained 4.55 points, or 0.2%, to 2,239.36.
Wall Street is still trying to gauge the pace of economic growth amid new worries about the latest wave of COVID-19 from the more contagious delta variant. Parts of Japan, including Tokyo, the capital, remain under a state of emergency as surging numbers of infections put more COVID-19 patients in already overburdened hospitals.
Analysts have said that the pace of growth will likely continue to slow as the year rolls on, but the latest surge with the virus has raised more concerns about just how much. Investors could have a better sense of the virus' impact on the economy in the coming months as schools reopen from summer break and people try to get back to normal activities, Haworth said.
Inflation concerns and the Federal Reserve's future plans to ease up on its support for low interest rates also hangs over the markets.
Earnings season is wrapping up with several big names. Sysco surged 6.5% after the food distributor reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street's estimates.
Ebay will report its results on Wednesday and Walt Disney will report results on Thursday.
Kansas City Southern jumped 7.5% after Canadian Pacific raised its offer for the railroad operator, reigniting a bidding war with Canadian National.
Commercial real estate platform LEX made history with the first real estate IPO open to the public in the United States. CEO and co-founder Drew Sterrett joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to provide some background on his company and to discuss the ins and outs of taking a building public.
The EV market has risen up quickly and the country that leads the way is China. The country has seen company's like Xpeng emerge with their technological innovations as it tries to produce flying cars by 2024. Cheddar News was joined by Alexa St. John, Transportation Reporter at Insider to discuss all things EV market in China and if the United States can catch up.
As popular sustainable shoewear company AllBirds makes its public debut on the Nasdaq, trading on the ticker under "Bird" , Baron's Markets Reporter Karishma Vanjani breaks down the future of the company as it competes in alongside other sustainable companies with recent IPO's.
Cannabis is now the fifth most valuable crop in the United States behind corn, soybeans, hay, and wheat. Its $6.2 billion wholesale harvest value surpassed that of staples like cotton, rice, and peanuts, according to a new report from Leafly. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello spoke to Leafly CEO Yoko Miyashita about the report's findings.
As we move closer toward the end of 2021, many people have moved forward with their lives in an effort to put 2020 behind them. But it turns out, some people are still struggling with the pressures associated with a post-pandemic society. According to a new poll by the American Psychological Association, 32% of American adults are still stressed by the pandemic and it turns out, some of that may have to do with your job. Ted Guastello, chief strategy officer with AMFM Healthcare joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Citi and Getty Images are teaming up to create a new toolkit featuring diverse images. The goal is to offer marketers and companies the opportunity to feature authentic representation, culture, and identity in advertising. The 'Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Imagery Toolkit' will be available in multiple markets around the globe, including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Mexico, and Hong Kong. Tristen Norman, head of creative insights for the Americas at Getty Images to talk about the partnership.
Sustainable footwear and apparel company Allbirds made its public debut on the Nasdaq on Wednesday, and CFO Mike Bufano joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to discuss the IPO and the company's $3.3 billion valuation. Bufano attributed its recent success to product offerings and expanded brick and mortar locations. "There's lower returns when people go to a store and then there's no outbound shipping when people go to a store as well. So, the stores are both great brand beacons, they're profitable in and of themselves, and they help the overall margin profile of the business," he said.
Avis stock surged more than 200 percent on October 2 after the company reported better-than-expected earnings. The move comes as Avis also looks to get involved in the EV industry and Elon Musk clouded the issue over Tesla's contract with Hertz. Joel Hawthorne, head trader and CEO of the Morning Snapshot, gave Cheddar his insight into what's happening for the rental car company on Wall Street.
Rob Garf, VP of industry strategy and insights at Salesforce, joined Cheddar's "Opening Bell" to talk about the rising cost of goods this holiday season noting shoppers will be paying 20 percent more than the previous year. He explained that while consumers will be willing to spend more on gifts, they will likely purchase fewer items and visit fewer stores. Garf also said he expects the pandemic norm of online shopping to continue its growth during the holidays.
