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* Snap Inc rises after rating upgrade
* Job openings rise more than expected in Feb
* IMF raises global growth view
(New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments
to close)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 slipped on Tuesday
but stayed near closing record highs posted in consecutive
sessions, as investors weighed more strong U.S. economic data
against nervousness about upcoming quarterly earnings reports.
U.S. job openings rose in February to a two-year high while
hiring picked up. The data came on the heels of
Friday's strong payrolls report and a report on Monday showing
activity in the service sector climbed to a record high in
March. The International Monetary Fund raised its global growth
forecast to 6% this year from 5.5%, a rate not seen since the
1970s. But with an upcoming earnings season expected to show S&P
profit growth of 24.2% from a year earlier, according to
Refintiv data, investors may be waiting to see how strong the
results will actually be.
"The big unanswered question is how open the economy is
right now and how many people are out there," said Stephen
Massocca, Senior Vice President at Wedbush Securities in San
Francisco.
"These security prices are reflecting an anticipation that
the economy is going to get back to normal sooner rather than
later and it is not exactly clear where we are in that process."
Unofficially, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell
96.35 points, or 0.29%, to 33,430.84, the S&P 500 .SPX lost
4.09 points, or 0.10%, to 4,073.82 and the Nasdaq Composite
.IXIC dropped 7.21 points, or 0.05%, to 13,698.38.
Gains on Wall Street were muted, with the Dow slightly lower
a day after a rally sent it and the S&P 500 to record highs.
Investors were assessing the staying power of gains in
economically sensitive sectors such as industrials .SPLRCI and
materials .SPLRCM that have been leading the charge higher.
Shares of many economically sensitive companies are
classified as value .RLV stocks. But growth .RLG , which
includes many stocks in the technology .SPLRCT and
communication services .SPLRCL sectors, has shown signs of
life.
Large U.S. fiscal and monetary stimulus measures and a swift
rollout of vaccines have pushed the S&P 500 and Dow to record
levels, with the CBOE volatility index .VIX retreating to
pre-pandemic lows.
Still, some investors remain worried about the possibility
of rising inflation and proposals for higher taxes. In addition,
other countries continue to have difficulty containing the
coronavirus. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on
Tuesday the country is facing a very serious third wave.
Snap Inc SNAP.N jumped 5.12% after Atlantic Equities
upgraded its rating on the photo-messaging app owner's shares to
"overweight" from "neutral". Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd NCLH.N added 4.61% as
it said it would begin sailing outside the United States from
the Caribbean and Greek Isles in July, restarting trips after a
year-long hiatus brought on by the pandemic. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1-year spread between growth and value stocks https://tmsnrt.rs/38Kf52d
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