Energy stocks slip along with oil while other sectors hold steady

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks slipped Wednesday after their recent record-setting run. Energy companies stumbled, but basic materials makers rose as investors hoped two large deals will win approval from regulators.

While energy stocks fell with the price of oil, most other sectors didn’t make big moves. Technology companies eked out a small gain. They have risen every day this month to reach their highest mark since 2000. DuPont and Dow Chemical rose after Reuters reported that European officials could approve their merger soon. The Dow Jones industrial average made its ninth straight gain.

After an extended streak of gains, investors didn’t make many big moves. They spent most of the day waiting for the minutes from the Federal Reserve meeting three weeks ago, but those minutes contained few surprises. Bond prices rose and yields dipped.

Kate Warne, an investment strategist for Edward Jones, said the Fed’s decision-makers are also waiting to learn more about the Trump administration’s policy proposals and Congress’ reaction to them. That might take a few months. Meanwhile investors, too, will wait.

“They want to see the data, they want to see more on inflation, and they would like more certainty about any fiscal policy changes,” she said.

The Dow average rose 32.60 points, or 0.2 percent, to 20,775.60. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 2.56 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,362.82. The Nasdaq composite shed 5.32 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,860.63. The Russell 2000 index of smallcompany stocks slid 6.49 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,403.86. More stocks fell than rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

All four indexes closed at record highs Tuesday.

DuPont climbed $2.63, or 3.4 percent, to $79.80 and Dow Chemical gained $2.45, or 4 percent, to $63.67. Reuters reported that regulators in the European Union are close to approving their $62 billion combination. Antitrust officials in the U.S. and elsewhere would still have to approve that deal.

Investors appeared to grow more optimistic about a second deal in the chemicals industry: Monsanto, which has accepted a $57 billion offer from Bayer but is also waiting for regulatory approval, rose 81 cents to $111.38.

The minutes from the Federal Reserve meeting showed that officials discussed the importance of raising their primary interest rate soon, especially if the economy stays strong. Some Fed officials were worried that if interest rates stay too low, the expanding economy could cause inflation to rise too fast.

Investors don’t generally expect the Fed to raise interest rates at its next meeting in March. But bond prices changed course and turned higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.41 percent from 2.43 percent late Tuesday.

Energy companies traded lower as benchmark U.S. crude lost 74 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $53.59 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for pricing international oils, fell 34 cents to $55.84 a barrel in London.

Oil and gas company Concho Resources slid $9.65, or 6.8 percent, to $131.70 after a weak fourthquarter report and Newfield Exploration declined $3.42, or 8 percent, to $39.07 as analysts expressed concerns about its forecasts for the current year.

Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb rose 57 cents, or 1 percent, to $55.35 after the Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire investor Carl Icahn bought a stake in the company. Icahn has not confirmed his investment.

Just a day earlier, Bristol-Myers reached a deal with another activist investor, Jana Partners. It will add three new directors to its board and spend $2 billion to buy back stock. Bristol-Myers stock traded at $75 in early August but plunged as investors worry that its lung cancer drug Opdivo will lose sales to other treatments.

Technology companies wavered but finished with a small gain thanks to Facebook, which jumped $2.40, or 1.8 percent, to $136.12. The S&P 500’s technology index has gained ground every day in February and is up 10 percent this year. That index is at its highest level since July 2000, four months after the dot-com boom had peaked.

The dollar slipped to 113.12 yen from 113.58 yen. The euro rose to $1.0568 from $1.0547.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $1.51 a gallon. Heating oil dipped 1 cent to $1.63 a gallon. Natural gas edged up 3 cents to $2.59 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold slipped $5.60 to $1,233.30 an ounce.

Silver lost 5 cents to $17.95 an ounce.

Copper fell 1 cent to $2.73 a pound.