US STOCKS-Wall Street pauses record-setting rally as FedEx shares tumble

Published 18/12/2019, 22:44
© Reuters.
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* Nasdaq notches record high while S&P, Dow dip

* FedEx tumbles 10% after cutting profit forecast

* Small-cap Russell hits highest level in 14 months

* Indexes: Dow down 0.1%, S&P down 0.04%, Nasdaq up 0.05%

(Recasts with index declines; updates to market close)

By April Joyner

NEW YORK, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended a five-day

winning streak on Wednesday as investors' optimism about global

economic growth was countered by a steep drop in FedEx Corp

FDX.N shares, but the benchmark index managed to hover near

all-time highs.

FedEx shares tumbled 10.0% after the U.S. parcel delivery

company cut its fiscal 2020 profit forecast on heavy expenses,

slowing global trade and fallout from its breakup with

Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O .

The decline in FedEx shares weighed on the blue-chip Dow

industrials. Shares of rival package delivery company United

Parcel Service Inc UPS.N fell 1.9%. The FedEx and UPS losses

sent the Dow Jones Transport Average .DJT down 0.9%.

But the Nasdaq notched a record closing high for a fifth

straight session.

Even with Wednesday's nominal losses on the S&P 500,

analysts said market sentiment remained largely upbeat following

last week's announcement of an initial U.S.-China trade

agreement. Earlier in the session, the S&P 500 hit its fifth

consecutive record high.

"Investors have gotten much more comfortable with the path

of things that have been dark clouds over the market," said

Wayne Wicker, chief investment officer at Vantagepoint

Investment Advisers in Washington. "This is just somewhat of a

pause after having such a strong run."

The market largely shrugged off the likely impeachment of

U.S. President Donald Trump as the House of Representatives

geared up for a historic vote later in the day on two charges

accusing Trump of abusing his power and obstructing Congress.

Impeachment would have little effect on the factors most

influential on U.S. markets, said Shannon Saccocia, chief

investment officer at Boston Private. "It doesn't change what

the Fed does," she said. "It doesn't change what happens from a

China perspective."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 27.88 points,

or 0.1%, to 28,239.28, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 1.38 points, or

0.04%, to 3,191.14, and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 4.38

points, or 0.05%, to 8,827.74.

The small-cap Russell 2000 .RUT hit its highest level in

14 months and ended 0.25% higher.

Facebook Inc FB.O shares rose 2.1%, providing the biggest

boost to the S&P 500, as Deutsche Bank raised its price target

on the stock.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a

1.55-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.03-to-1 ratio favored advancers.

The S&P 500 posted 40 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the

Nasdaq Composite recorded 166 new highs and 59 new lows.

Volume on U.S. exchanges was 7.72 billion shares, compared

to the 6.95 billion average for the full session over the last

20 trading days.

The S&P 500 and the Clinton impeachment Image https://tmsnrt.rs/2S3ucgo

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