US stocks continues to score record highs, but S&P 500 slips

Most major US stocks indices rallied today at Wall Street, as Dow Jones and Nasdaq scored their second straight close at all-time highs, while S&P 500 fell slightly.

The broad optimism about the US-China trade talks continues to lift stock markets, especially amid the anticipation of the signing of the first phase of the trade deal between the two countries.

Beijing is in race against time for the deal, in its attempts to call upon Washington removal of the tariff hike, which is scheduled for December 15th.

Data showed that the Chinese service sector growth slowed to 51.1 points in October, lower than forecasts of 51.3, while in the US the service sector grew higher than forecasts in the same month.

As for the oil market, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose by 1.2% to close at $57.23 a barrel, with a session-high of $57.5 and a low of $56.3.

Brent rose by 1.3% to $62.96 a barrel (6-week high), with a high of $63.1and a low of $61.8.

To stocks, Dow Jones rose by 0.1% or 30 points to settle at 27,492, with an intraday high of 27,560 a low of 27,453.

Nasdaq rose by 0.1% or 1.5 points to 8,434, with a high of 8,457 a low of 8,421.

S&P 500 slipped 0.1% or 3 points to close at 3,074, with a high of 3,083 and a low of 3,072.