Dow aims for 2nd straight record, but stocks struggle for momentum
U.S. stocks fought to take flight on Tuesday with the Dow industrials trying for a fresh record a day after closing at an all-time high in the previous session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened little-changed at 19,221, the S&P 500 index climbed 2 points, or 0.1%, at 2,206, while the Nasdaq Composite Index , led the way among stock benchmarks, up 11 points, or 0.2%, at 5,321. In corporate news, Toll Brothers reported a fourth-quarter profit of 67 cents a share from 80 cents last year. Meanwhile, oil traded sharply lower, threatening to snap a four-session win streak in the wake of the deal struck by members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to curb oil output and stabilize the commodities price.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.