U.S. stocks were higher on Wednesday, with the Dow leading gains and the S&P 500 setting a closing record, paced drugmaker Merck, while investors looked towards the next piece of inflation data and Federal Reserve commentary for signals on the rate path. Merck & Co advanced 4.96% as the best performer on the Dow after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its therapy for adults suffering from a rare lung condition.
U.S. stocks were higher, with the Dow leading gains on Wednesday, and the S&P 500 setting a closing record, paced by gains in drugmaker Merck, while investors looked towards the next piece of inflation data and Federal Reserve policymaker commentary for signals on the rate path. Merck & Co advanced as the best performer on the Dow after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its therapy for adults suffering from a rare lung condition. The blue-chip Dow sits roughly 1% away from breaking the 40,000 level for the first time.