Nasdaq ends at record as tech giants start reporting

The Nasdaq pushed to a record high on Tuesday despite a pullback in the Dow, as markets greeted a series of earnings from technology heavyweights.Shares of Google parent Alphabet rose in after-hours trading following its earnings report, which will be succeeded later this week by releases from Apple, Microsoft and others."Tech stocks are catching a bid," said Art Hogan of B Riley Wealth Management, adding that there has been "more good news than bad" today.The tech-rich Nasdaq finished up 0.8 percent at 18,712,The Dow Jones declined 0.4 percent to 42,233, while the S&P 500 added 0.2 percent at 5,832.Hogan pointed to another decline in oil prices as supportive of stocks and noted that US Treasury bond yields were stable.The Conference Board's consumer confidence index jumped sharply to 108.7 in October, up from a revised 99.2 last month, another positive for stocks.Among individual companies, Ford fell 8.4 percent after reporting solid third-quarter earnings, but lowering some of its full-year projections, implying a weaker fourth quarter.But Boeing shot up 1.5 percent after it announced it will raise more than initially expected from a new stock offering as it seeks to offset crushing production woes and a major strike. The aerospace giant now expects to raise at least US$21 billion from the campaign. (AFP)

The Nasdaq pushed to a record high on Tuesday despite a pullback in the Dow, as markets greeted a series of earnings from technology heavyweights. Shares of Google parent Alphabet rose in after-hours trading following its earnings report, which will be succeeded later this week by releases from Apple, Microsoft and others. "Tech stocks are catching a bid," said Art Hogan of B Riley Wealth Management, adding that there has been "more good news than bad" today.

The tech-rich Nasdaq finished up 0.8 percent at 18,712, The Dow Jones declined 0.4 percent to 42,233, while the S&P 500 added 0.

2 percent at 5,832. Hogan pointed to another decline in oil prices as supportive of stocks and noted that US Treasury bond yields were stable. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index jumped sharply to 108.

7 in October, up from a revised 99.2 last month, another positive for stocks. Among individual companies, Ford fell 8.

4 percent after reporting solid third-quarter earnings, but lowering some of its full-year projections, implying a weaker fourth quarter. But Boeing shot up 1.5 percent after it announced it will raise more than initially expected from a new stock offering as it seeks to offset crushing production woes and a major strike.

The aerospace giant now expects to raise at least US$21 billion from the campaign. (AFP).