US: Wall St end mixed as S&P marks longest bull run

[NEW YORK] US stocks were mixed on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq gaining on the strength of tech stocks while the S&P 500 was little changed as it marked its longest bull-market run.

The legal woes of two former advisers to US President Donald Trump contributed to investors' caution, while the release of the Federal Open Market Committee's minutes from its last policy meeting had only a fleeting impact on Wall Street's major indexes.

US central bankers discussed raising interest rates soon to counter excessive economic strength but also examined how global trade disputes could batter businesses and households.

Energy stocks rose 1.2 per cent as oil prices jumped, while retailers gained after Target Corp and Lowe's Companies Inc announced quarterly results. The biggest boost to the S&P 500 came from technology stocks, which advanced 0.5 per cent.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was found guilty of tax and bank fraud charges on Tuesday evening, while Mr Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to a range of charges and said he acted at the direction of Mr Trump.

Investors are considering whether the twin setback will hurt the Republican Party's election prospects and widen a criminal probe that has overshadowed Trump's presidency.

"There was quite a lot of news that was negative for Trump yesterday that introduced uncertainty into the market," said Robert Phipps, director at Per Stirling Capital Management in Austin, Texas.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88.69 points, or 0.34 per cent, to 25,733.6, the S&P 500 lost 1.14 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 2,861.82 and the Nasdaq Composite added 29.92 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 7,889.10.

"We're at a point of technical resistance," Mr Phipps said. "We need a catalyst to break through it, but there's not currently one on the docket."

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 reached an all-time intraday high but ended the session below that level.

The S&P's bull-market run has now stretched for 3,453 days, the longest streak by commonly used definitions, and comes a day after it hit a record intraday high.

Target shares touched an all-time high after the retailer beat quarterly estimates and raised its full-year profit forecast. Target shares ended the session up 3.2 per cent.

Lowe's shares also hit a record high after the home improvement chain promised to cut back slow-moving products and unsuccessful business projects. They closed up 5.8 per cent.

Shares of Hartford Financial Services Group Inc dropped 4.2 per cent after the insurer said it will buy Navigators Group Inc in a US$2.1 billion cash deal. Navigators' shares jumped 8.8 per cent to US$69.90, just below Hartford's offer of US$70 a share.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.17-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.49-to-1 ratio favoured advancers.

The S&P 500 posted 21 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 109 new highs and 22 new lows.

Volume on US exchanges was 5.26 billion shares, compared to the 6.42 billion average over the last 20 trading days.

REUTERS