Dow Jones passes 27,000 on way to record

A turbulent day on Wall Street ended in the record books Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed above 27,000 for the first time and the S&P 500 index hit another all-time high.

The milestones came on a day when the S&P 500 briefly moved above 3,000 for the second straight day before an early rally lost some of its momentum.

The market lost some ground after an auction of long-term U.S. government bonds failed to drum up strong demand. That pulled bond prices lower, sending yields sharply higher.

Banks and technology stocks led the broad gains, offsetting losses in real estate and communications services companies.

The latest gains extended a winning streak for stocks into its third day. Stocks have been trending higher for much of the week as investors have grown more confident that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates for the first time in a decade as soon as the end of this month.

“Sure, 27,000 is just a number and in the whole scope of things isn't meaningful,” said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist for LPL Financial.

The S&P 500 rose 6.84 points, or 0.2%, to 2,999.91. The index set three straight record highs last week.

The Dow gained 227.88 points, or 0.8%, to 27,088.08. The Nasdaq composite gave up an early gain, sliding 6.49 points, or 0.1%, to 8,196.04. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks dropped 7.13 points, or 0.5%, to 1,557.92.

Stocks rose from the get-go Thursday as investors looked ahead to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell testifying before a Congressional committee for the second straight day.