Dow breaks record as Wall Street ends mixed

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017
Dow breaks record as Wall Street ends mixed

NEW YORK - Wall Street ended in mixed territory on Thursday but the blue-chip Dow hit a tenth consecutive all-time high, breaking a 30-year record.

But the broader S&P 500 finished flat and the Nasdaq fell for second day, weighed lower by tech stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 percent to end at 20,810.32. It was also the first time since 2013 the index had closed higher on 10 consecutive days.

The S&P scraped into positive territory, rising less than a tenth of a percentage point to 2,363.81 while the Nasdaq fell 0.4 percent to 5,835.51.

Wall Street has smashed records repeatedly since President Donald Trump took office, with investors cheered in recent days by hopes the new administration will unveil a tax cuts soon.

Bill Lynch of Hindsale Associates said there had been little news on Thursday to stimulate market moves by investors.

"In terms of news today, there wasn't a heck of a lot," Lynch told AFP. "Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin came and said he expects the tax reform to be very significant and put in place by the August recess."

Pharmaceuticals were among the Dow's biggest gainers, with Johnson & Johnson rising 1.82 percent, Pfizer adding 1.4 percent and Merck up 0.9 percent.

Shares in electric automaker Tesla fell 6.4 percent on the Nasdaq after the company's mixed quarterly results on Wednesday, with losses narrowing in the fourth quarter and revenues rising.

Oil shares were lifted higher after crude oil prices hit their highest point since mid-2015 in New York, with a barrel of light sweet crude for April delivery settling up 86 cents at $54.45.

Exxon Mobil gained one percent while Chevron added 0.6 percent and ConocoPhillips rose 0.4 percent.