Stocks - Dow Notches Another Record High as Defensive Stocks Rally
Investing.com - The Dow soared to record highs for a second-straight day Friday as defensive stocks turned to offense on falling U.S. Treasury yields.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 0.32% to 26,743.50. The S&P 500 fell 0.13% to 2,928.88., while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.51% to 7,986.96.
Falling bond yields increased the attractiveness of high-income-yielding bond proxies like utilities and telecoms, helping offset weakness from profit-taking in financials and tech.
The 10-year Treasury yield slipped Friday, following strong early-week gains as the benchmark Treasury breached the key psychological 3% level earlier this week ahead of a widely-expected U.S. interest rate hike next week.
Profit-taking in financials and tech comes as both sectors posted strong gains for the week on the back of a surge in bond yields and reduced fears on trade, respectively.
China and the United States earlier this week imposed less harsh-than-expected tariffs on each other, helping lift sentiment on trade.
In sharp contrast, U.S.-Canada talks were set to end the week with little sign of progress as a key White House official suggested the United States could move ahead with a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) without Canada, ahead of the U.S.-imposed Oct. 1 deadline.
“We’re still talking to Canada, and we’re getting very, very close to the deadline where we’re going to have to move ahead with Mexico all by themselves,” White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday.
Trade-sensitive stocks such as Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) pushed the Dow into record-setting territory this week, as both posted strong weekly gains.
Energy, meanwhile, also racked up gains, supported the broader markets, as oil prices rebounded from lows, which followed a report suggesting major oil producers were set to discuss plans to boost output.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude futures for October delivery rose 46 cents to settle at $70.78 a barrel.
On the corporate earnings front, Micron guided sales below analysts' estimates, and said PC processor shortages were hurting demand for its memory chips. The chipmakers also warned that President Trump's latest round of tariffs on Chinese imports would pressure the company's gross margins.
The company expects future quarterly revenue between $7.9 billion and $8.3 billion, while analysts had estimated $8.45 billion in revenue.
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