Indexes again set records

Investors extended a rally through a holidayshortened day and pushed the S&P 500 index to its third-straight record high close on Wednesday. Other major indexes also closed at record highs.

The rally follows a slight easing of trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

The S&P 500 closed at 2,995.82, with every sector posting gains. Also closing at records were the Dow Jones industrial average, at 26,966, and the Nasdaq, led by technology stocks, at 8,170.23.

“Clearly the trade truce with China has been a catalyst for the market, even though there remain uncertainties,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial.

Technology companies, which tend to do a lot of business with China, have been particularly sensitive to the trade war between the U.S. and China. The sector has been broadly higher this week.

Cybersecurity software company Symantec surged 13.6%, as media reports suggested that it is considering a sale to chipmaker Broadcom. Microsoft and Apple also rose.

A broad mix of health care companies lifted that sector. Johnson & Johnson rose 1.5%, and Merck rose 1.6%.

Communications and internet companies were also among the biggest gainers, with strong pushes from Facebook and Netflix.

Tesla rose 4.6% after telling investors that it delivered more electric cars in the second quarter than in any previous threemonth period in its history.

The market will be closed Thursday for the Independence Day holiday.

Investors will be on the lookout for the government’s closely watched monthly jobs report scheduled for Friday.