Markets Right Now: US stocks close slightly higher

NEW YORK – The latest on developments in financial markets (All times local):

4:05 p.m.

Stocks are closing slightly higher Tuesday as two major indexes reached new records. Industrial companies and banks slid.

Boeing fell 0.4 per cent after rival aircraft maker Airbus took a majority stake on Bombardier’s C-series passenger jets.

Netflix sank 1.4 per cent as investors worried about its mounting spending on programming.

Health care companies rose. UnitedHealth Group, the country’s biggest health insurer, jumped 5.5 per cent after reporting a strong quarter.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 1.7 points to 2,559.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 40 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 22,997. The Nasdaq composite was little changed at 6,624.

More stocks fell than rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

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11:45 a.m.

Stocks are drifting mostly lower in midday trading, a day after major indexes closed at their latest record highs.

Industrial companies and banks fell more than the rest of the market Tuesday.

Boeing fell 0.6 per cent after rival aircraft maker Airbus took a majority stake on Bombardier’s C-series passenger jets.

Netflix sank 1.7 per cent as investors worried about its mounting spending on programming.

Health care companies rose. UnitedHealth Group, the country’s biggest health insurer, jumped 5 per cent after reporting a strong quarter.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped less than 1 point to 2,556.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 22 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 22,980. The Nasdaq composite was little changed at 6,623.

More stocks fell than rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

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9:35 a.m.

Stocks are off to a mixed start on Wall Street as gains for health care companies are offset by losses elsewhere in the market.

UnitedHealth Group, the country’s biggest health insurer, rose 3.9 per cent early Tuesday after reporting earnings that beat analysts’ estimates. Johnson & Johnson rose 1.2 per cent after reporting a strong quarter of its own.

Boeing fell 1 per cent after rival aircraft maker Airbus took a majority stake on Bombardier’s C-series passenger jets. Netflix sank 1.4 per cent as investors worried about its mounting borrowing and spending on programming.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index was little changed at 2,558.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 19 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 22,976. The Nasdaq composite slipped 2 points to 6,621.