By Yasin Ebrahim
Investing.com – The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs Wednesday, for the second-straight day as financials and energy climbed ahead of an annual Jackson Hole symposium due later this week.
The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to close at record of 4,496.19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1%, or 39 points, the Nasdaq climbed 0.2% to a closing of 15,041.86.
The tentative move higher in the broader market was led by financials, mostly banking stocks, as Treasury yields continued to make up ground, with the 10-Year yield rising above 1.3% following a dip last week.
JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM), Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) were higher, with the latter up more than 2%.
Higher interest rates boost the return on interest that banks earn from their loan products.
Energy turned positive, adding to recent gains after oil prices rebounded on data that showed that weekly U.S. crude supplies fell more than expected.
Crude inventories fell 2.979 million barrels last week, compared with analysts' expectations for a draw of 2.683 million barrels.
On the earnings front, the ongoing global supply chain woes continued to feature in the quarterly reports, with both Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom warning of further pressures ahead.
Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) slumped 18% after announcing that it would only be in a position to return cash to shareholders by the end of year, amid rising costs that are expected to continue into the second half of its fiscal year.
"Despite an impressive beat and raise, [Nordstrom's] results are below the high bar set in department stores by the likes of Dillard’s and Macy’s with Nordstrom seemingly benefitting less from Covid tailwinds relative to the sector," Wedbush said in a note.
Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) reported quarterly results that beat on both the top and bottom lines, led by a jump in online sales. Its shares fell 9%.
Megacap tech stocks were mixed as the bulk of the fab 5 stocks trading below the flatline.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) were in the red, while Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Google-parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) were higher.
On the economic front, durable goods orders fell slightly in July, paced by a decline in aircraft orders following a rebound earlier.
"Durable goods orders and shipments suggest that manufacturers are beginning the long, arduous process of replenishing empty shelves," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton. "Higher prices and an end to stimulus checks are also taking a toll on demand."
In other news, Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) said it would impose a $200 monthly charge on employees who aren't vaccinated against Covid-19.