Nasdaq Hits Record But Dow Jones Slips Again

The Nasdaq jumped to a fresh record on Wednesday, boosted by tech and media shares, while the Dow continued to be weighed down by trade war anxiety.

The Nasdaq gained 0.7 percent to 7,781.

The Dow Jones shed 0.2 percent to 24,657, while the S&P 500 added 0.2 percent at 2,767.

Wednesday's trading marked the latest occasion that the Nasdaq has outperformed the other two indices amid sharpening trade rhetoric between the US and China.

The Nasdaq, along with the Russell 2000, an index of smaller companies that has also done well, "are less likely to be severely impacted by any potential trade wars," said Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman.

"However, investors are still concerned about the broader ramifications of a potential trade war," Berman said.

"Many think that the path President Trump is taking is likely a negotiation tactic and the people who still think the trade war will develop believe it would be China that makes concessions. Stay tuned!"

Twenty-First Century Fox shot up 7.3 percent as Disney raised its bid for core entertainment assets in response to a challenge from Comcast. Disney rose 1.1 percent and Comcast climbed 1.8 percent.

Large technology names were also strong, with Facebook winning 2.3 percent, Microsoft one percent and Amazon 0.9 percent.

Starbucks slumped 9.1 percent after announcing it expected just one percent growth in comparable store sales in the third quarter. The coffee giant also announced it was hiking its dividend 20 percent and closing about 150 stores in the US in 2019.

Software giant Oracle was another big loser, diving 7.4 percent after projecting earnings of 68 cents per share for the next quarter, four cents below analyst expectations. (AFP)