S&P 500 hits record high at open on upbeat corporate earnings, Dow Jones, Nasdaq open up

S&P 500 hits record high at open on upbeat corporate earnings, Dow Jones, Nasdaq open up
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 8.5 points, or 0.03%, at the open to 30968.55. The S&P 500 rose 7.6 points, or 0.20%, at the open to 3862.96,

Agencies
US stocks rose on Tuesday with the S&P 500 hitting another record high as positive earnings updates from a slew of companies including Dow components 3M and Johnson & Johnson supported sentiment.

Johnson & Johnson rose 3.6% after the drugmaker forecast 2021 profit above estimates and promised data from its widely watched coronavirus vaccine trial soon.

3M Co, which makes N95 face masks and Post-it notes, added 2.5% after it reported a better-than expected quarterly profit helped by lower costs and higher demand for its healthcare products during the pandemic.

“So far earnings have been really strong and the market is looking forward to some of the big tech names starting to report earnings today,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird, in Milwaukee.

Tech heavyweight Microsoft Corp edged 0.7% higher, while Advanced Micro Devices Inc dipped 0.2%. Both the companies are expected to report earnings after markets close.

Ten of the 11 S&P sectors rose in early trading with energy and industrials leading gains.

Few if any changes are expected in the central bank’s policy statement at the end of a two-day meeting on Wednesday, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell likely to address inflation in his post-meeting news conference.

With the S&P 500 trading at 22 times the 12-month forward earnings, concerns about stock bubbles on Wall Street are sparking fears of a pullback. Investors are keeping an eye out for forecasts from corporate America to justify these higher valuations.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its forecast for global economic growth in 2021, but warned of “exceptional uncertainty” amid risks from new waves of COVID-19 infections and variants.

In focus is progress in stimulus talks, with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying on Monday that Democrats may try to pass much of President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill using a process that would bypass a Republican filibuster and could pass with a majority vote.

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