NEW YORK — The Dow Jones Industrial Average set a record after a quiet Monday of trading, as Wall Street geared up for the most anticipated meeting of the Federal Reserve in years.
The Dow rose 228 points, or 0.6%, to surpass its prior all-time high set a few weeks ago. The S&P 500 index, which is much more comprehensive and widely followed on Wall Street, ticked up by 0.1% to climb within 0.6% of its own record set in July.
The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.5% as big technology stocks and other market superstars gave back a bit of their big gains from recent years.
Most stocks rose on Wall Street, and Oracle’s gain of 5.1% helped lead the market. The software company continued a strong run that began last week with a better-than-expected profit report.
Alcoa also jumped 6.1% after saying it would sell its ownership stake in a Saudi Arabian joint venture to Saudi Arabian Mining Co. for $950 million in stock and $150 million in cash. But drops for some influential Big Tech stocks kept indexes in check, including declines of 2.8% for Apple and 1.9% for Nvidia. They’re among the market’s most influential stocks because they’re among the largest by market value.
Stock indexes have been taking a jagged, scary ride toward their records. After worries about the U.S. economy and other hiccups in global markets briefly sent the S&P 500 nearly 10% below its all-time high last month, the S&P 500 is just one middling day away from its record on excitement about coming cuts to interest rates.
Treasury yields eased in the bond market ahead of Wednesday’s meeting for the Federal Reserve, where it’s expected to cut its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years.
The only question is by how much relief for the economy the Fed will deliver. Traders are shifting more bets toward a larger-than-usual move of half a percentage point, according to data from CME Group. They’re anticipating a 63% chance the Fed will go beyond the traditional cut of a quarter of a percentage point. That’s up from 50% on Friday and just 30% a week ago.
The difference between a half-point cut and a quarter may sound academic, but it can have far-ranging effects. Lowering rates relieves pressure on the economy, but it can also give inflation more fuel.
The Federal Reserve has been keeping its main interest rate at a two-decade high in hopes of slowing the economy enough to stifle high inflation. With inflation having eased substantially from its peak two summers ago, the Fed has said it can turn more focus to bolstering the slowing job market and economy. Some critics say it may be moving too late, increasing the risk of a possible recession.
