NASDAQ, S&P 500 mark fresh record highs

Most major US stock indices rose on Thursday—except for the Dow Jones—as both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 reached new all-time highs, with investor attention firmly on corporate earnings releases.

On Wednesday, Tesla reported weak Q2 earnings, while Alphabet posted stronger-than-expected profits and revenue, also announcing plans to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump declared his intention to visit the Federal Reserve’s headquarters later today, marking an unprecedented escalation in his pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. This would be the first visit of its kind by a sitting US president to the central bank in nearly two decades.

As of 16:53 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.4% (160 points) to 44,850. The broader S&P 500 rose 0.3% (18 points) to 6,377, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3% (70 points) to 21,090.