The S&P 500 gained 0.5 percent to end at 2,473.83, while the tech-rich Nasdaq advanced 0.6 percent to 6,385.04. It was the second straight day of new records for those indexes. But earnings growth among companies in the S&P 500 has thus far been "much better" than expected, said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. Of the companies reporting Wednesday, Morgan Stanley was a standout, rising 3.3 percent after reporting an 11.4 percent rise in second-quarter profits to $1.6 billion. United Continental plummeted 5.9 percent despite scoring a 39 percent rise in second-quarter profit to $818 million.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 19, 2017 20:37 UTC