Stocks eke out late gains for more records

Trader Christopher Morie works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, July 13, 2016.
Trader Christopher Morie works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, July 13, 2016.

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks inched up to another record on Wednesday after spending much of the day flitting between gains and losses.

After big moves up in recent days, investors appeared to take a bit of breather. They nudged stocks higher at the open, then sent them down, then back up in indecisive trading that set the tone for the rest of the day. In the last half hour, the Standard and Poor's 500 crept to a tiny gain, closing up less than a third of a point, an increase of just 0.01 percent.

Still, it was another high, and a winning streak that began with a strong U.S. jobs report on Friday stretched into a fourth day.

Investors are hoping the strengthening economy combined with low interest rates will help lift corporate profits and the appetite for stocks.

"Good economic numbers could translate into decent second quarter earnings, and rates are low," said Ernie Cecilia, chief investment officer of Bryn Mawr Trust. That makes for a "decent environment" for stocks.

Utility companies rose more than the rest of the market, though, a sign investors are cautious as they seek out the relative safety of steady dividend payers. Investors also sought safety in U.S. government bonds, sending yields lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which had been rising since hitting an all-time low last week, dropped to 1.47 percent from 1.51 percent.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.29 points to 2,152.43. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 24.45 points, or 0.1 percent, to 18,372.12. The Nasdaq composite lost 17.09 points, or 0.3 percent, at 5,005.73.

Rising oil prices have brought relief to the stock market in recent months, but the price reversed course Wednesday after the U.S. government said crude oil stockpiles shrank less than expected last week. Hess slumped $2.11, or 3.5 percent, to $58.02 and Devon Energy lost $1.01, or 2.5 percent, to $39.

Eight of the 10 biggest losers in the S&P 500 were energy-related companies.

For all the recent gains in stocks, the major indexes are barely above their old records a year ago.

"In essence, we have a stock market that has given us zero gains but plenty of heartaches," said James Abate, chief investment officer at Centre Asset Management.

Investors will turn their attention to second quarter earnings reports over the next few days. Earnings per share at companies in the S&P 500 are expected to fall 5.5 percent compared with the same period a year ago, according to research firm S&P Global Market Intelligence. That will be the fourth quarter in a row of drops.