U.S. Markets

The dollar index continued to weaken on Tuesday, pressured by a resurgence of geopolitical tensions with North Korea, as well as advances by the British pound and the euro as traders regained confidence in the U.K. economy and eyed potential actions by the European Central Bank.

A resurgence in the so-called Trump trade has investors once again contemplating a fresh milestone for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

U.S. stocks finished slightly higher on Tuesday, but the Dow industrials recorded its 47th all-time peak of 2017, buoyed by gains in consumer-staples shares, highlighting optimism ahead of earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3% to 22,830 points, making this its eighth gain in the past 10 sessions. The S&P 500 ended the day 0.2% higher at 2,551 points, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.1% at 6,586. In individual stocks, Walmart was an outperformer after the retailer said it would continue to focus on its domestic stores and e-commerce during its investor day.

Japan is going to the poll on Oct 22 to vote in a snap election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put on the agenda last month. Though the result will likely give more power to the incumbent, there is a tail risk that could derail the yen.

Wall Street isn’t just in a bull market, it’s in an “epic” one.

Technically speaking, the major U.S. benchmarks’ powerful 2017 uptrend is firmly intact, writes Michael Ashbaugh. Each index has reached record territory with an unseasonal October technical breakout.

Technically speaking, the major U.S. benchmarks’ powerful 2017 uptrend is firmly intact. Consider that the unseasonal October breakout has been broadly-based, and statistically unusual, in spots, against the backdrop of persistently flat selling pressure.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated off session highs late Tuesday morning on reports that prominent investor Nelson Peltz of Trian Fund Management lost a closely watched proxy contest to put him on Procter & Gamble Co.'s board. Shares of Dow component P&G were off $1.27, or about 1.4%, cutting about 10 points from the Dow . The price-weighted blue-chip gauge, however, is being buoyed by rally in shares of retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , which was up, $3.59, or 4.5%, and contributing roughly 25 points to the benchmark's gain after the retailer said announced a $20 billion stock buyback program and detailed its profit and sales outlook. A $1 shift in any one of the Dow's 30 components equates to a 6.89-point swing. At P&G's annual, general meeting on Tuesday, Peltz failed to win a seat on the company's board, according to P&G. Peltz's Trian, however, sees the vote as too close to call. Most recently, the Dow was up 31 points, or 0.1%, at 22,791. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index was trading 2 points, or 0.1%, higher, at 2,547, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was flat at 6,576. All three equity benchmarks touched intraday records on Tuesday but have since pulled back from session highs.