Stocks were slightly lower in early trading on Tuesday, after the major stock market indexes hit record highs the day before. Investors continue to keep their eyes on Washington, where it appears Democrats plan to move ahead without Republican help on a major stimulus bill for the economy.
The S&P 500 index fell 0.1% as of 9:55 a.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.1%. The Russell 2000 index of small company stocks was down 0.2%.
A slight pullback after six straight days of gains is not uncommon, as investors pause during a rally to reassess and wait for more economic data to see where the market goes next.
Several companies were making big moves after reporting their latest quarterly results. Hanesbrands soared almost 20% after reporting earnings that came in well ahead of what analysts were expecting.
Stocks have been moving steadily higher for several days as Wall Street becomes more optimistic that the worst parts of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic might be in the rearview mirror. Vaccine rollouts continue both in the U.S. and globally, with the U.S. administrating hundreds of thousands of doses per day at this point.
Washington is preparing to go big for its next round of economic stimulus to support struggling Americans and businesses. Democrats have rallied around President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, which will include one-time payments to Americans plus a likely increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Market participants doubled down on fiscal stimulus bets” after Federal Reserve officials downplayed concerns the spending might fuel inflation, said Mizuho Bank in a report.
Shares of GameStop and AMC Entertainment continue to be volatile, as online investors remain in a tug-of-war with Wall Street institutional investors over the struggling companies’ values. GameStop shares were down 12% and AMC was down 9%.