Nasdaq tops 15,000 for first time, S&P 500 sets new record

Oil was sharply higher for a second day nearing $68 per barrel

U.S. stock indexes climbed to record highs Tuesday as the Nasdaq Composite index topped 15,000 for the first time. 

The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.52%, to close at a record 15,019.80, while the S&P 500 index added 0.15% on the way to its own all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points, or 0.09%, finishing about 258 points below its record peak.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 43830.74 -127.45 -0.29%
SP500 S&P 500 5965.34 -20.04 -0.33%
I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 19163.462487 -67.26 -0.35%

The Nasdaq's milestone, reached early afternoon, marked the 136th trading day since the last 1,000 point milestone, as tracked by Dow Jones Market Data Group. 

A House vote to advance the framework for President Biden’s $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package was underway Tuesday afternoon after initially being held up by nine moderate Democrats who wanted to first vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that has already passed in the Senate. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said she would not bring the bipartisan bill up for a vote until the $3.5 trillion package was passed by the House. Progressive Democrats say they will only support the $1 trillion infrastructure bill if the larger spending plan is passed.  

This as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., said Monday evening that she would not support the $3.5 trillion package that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York hopes to pass via budget reconciliation, which would require all 50 Democrats to approve the measure without a single Republican vote. 

In stocks, mega-cap tech stocks, including Apple Inc., Microsoft Inc. and Amazon Inc., were in the spotlight after powering the Nasdaq to a record high Monday. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
AAPL APPLE INC. 227.96 +2.83 +1.26%
MSFT MICROSOFT CORP. 423.06 -2.14 -0.50%
AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 212.66 -1.44 -0.67%

Ford Motor Co. doubled the production target for its F-150 Lightning pickup truck due to strong early demand for the all-electric vehicle, Reuters reports, citing people and suppliers familiar with the matter. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
F FORD MOTOR CO. 11.12 +0.01 +0.09%

Best Buy Inc. beat on both the top and bottom lines and raised its annual sales forecast as consumers make upgrades to their at-home offices. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
BBY BEST BUY CO. INC. 92.08 +1.36 +1.50%
AAP ADVANCE AUTO PARTS INC. 42.41 +1.45 +3.53%

Advance Auto Parts Inc. reported mixed quarterly results as higher wage and delivery costs impacted its bottom line. The auto parts retailer raised its sales guidance for the current fiscal year. 

Department Store Nordstrom Inc. and homebuilder Toll Brothers are among the companies scheduled to report their quarterly results after Tuesday’s closing bell. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
JWN NORDSTROM INC. 23.11 +0.06 +0.24%
TOL TOLL BROTHERS INC. 153.32 +1.64 +1.08%

Elsewhere, oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. battled higher as oil prices saw strong gains for a second straight session with West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumping $1.90 to $67.54 a barrel.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
XOM EXXON MOBIL CORP. 120.51 +0.03 +0.02%
CVX CHEVRON CORP. 160.95 +2.26 +1.42%

U.S.-listed Chinese companies, including JD.com Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc., surged after Beijing laid out the conditions that must be met by companies wanting to go public both at home and overseas. Such companies must abide by national laws and regulations and also ensure the security of the national network, critical information infrastructure and personal data.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
JD JD.COM INC. 33.99 -1.70 -4.76%
BABA ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTD. 90.44 -1.54 -1.68%
BIDU BAIDU INC. 83.57 -0.89 -1.05%

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Overseas markets mostly gained. 

In Europe, Germany’s DAX 30 rallied 0.33% and Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.24% while France’s CAC 40 declined by 0.28%. 

Asian bourses finished higher across the board with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rising 2.46%, China's Shanghai Composite index climbing 1.08% and Japan's Nikkei 225 adding 0.87%.