Dow nears 20,000; tech, energy climb

Post-election rally and OPEC’s planned cuts pushing market higher.

NEW YORK — Major U.S. stock indexes set records again Tuesday as energy companies continued to climb following international deals that will cut oil production. Big-name technology companies like Apple and IBM also traded higher as the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 19,900 for the first time.

The Dow finished at an all-time high for the seventh consecutive trading day. The biggest gain went to IBM, while Apple and Exxon Mobil also finished near the top.

Energy companies rose for the ninth day out of the last 10 as investors anticipated steadier oil prices and larger profits. Technology companies also jumped. They had mostly lagged the market during its post-election rally but have moved higher in the last few days.

J.J. Kinahan, TD Ameritrade’s chief strategist, said stocks have surged since the presidential election because after a long campaign, investors have a better idea which policies the country will adopt.

“The biggest questions hanging over us are gone,” he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 114.78 points, or 0.6 percent, to 19,911.21.

The blue-chip index went as high as 19,953. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index picked up 14.76 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,271.72. The Nasdaq composite climbed 51.29 points, or 0.9 percent, to 5,463.83.

Energy companies rose for the fifth consecutive day. Exxon Mobil climbed $1.60, or 1.8 percent, to $92.58 and Noble Energy advanced $1.80, or 4.5 percent, to $41.64.

OPEC countries agreed on Nov. 30 to trim oil production next year, and over the weekend a group of 11 other nations also agreed to make cuts. Those reductions are intended to prop up the price of oil following a twoyear slump. U.S. crude is up 17 percent since the OPEC deal was announced — taking it to its highest price in almost a year and a half — and the S&P 500 energy index is up 10 percent.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 15 cents to $52.98 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, added 3 cents to $55.72 a barrel in London.

Investors expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates when it ends a policy meeting today. The central bank last raised interest rates a year ago. It’s kept rates very low since the 2008 financial crisis, but its leaders have suggested the U.S. economy is improving enough that it is time to start gradually raising rates.