U.S. Health Care Stocks Reach Records as Major Indexes Rise
U.S. health care stocks climbed to record highs by midday Tuesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 7,713 and the Dow gained 0.9% to 52,424, while the Nasdaq 100 was little changed.
Health care stocks climbed to record highs by midday Tuesday, with defensives and small caps leading a recovery from an early dip as the Nasdaq 100 stalled. General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM ) fell 7.6%, marking the steepest decline among the large-cap names and the stock's worst day since July 2025. Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.70 beat the $3.63 estimate and revenue of $50 billion topped forecasts, but full-year EPS guidance of $12.75-$13.75 sits below the analysts' $13.41 midpoint.
Oil eased a bit despite Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatening to target undersea communication cables in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude touched a five-month high above $110 a barrel earlier on Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure before reversing lower. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell about 1.0% to $97.55 a barrel. Crude's pullback from overnight highs helped equities find their footing after a softer open.
The S&P 500 advanced 22 points, or 0.3%, to 7,713, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 458 points, or 0.9%, to 52,424. In the Dow, 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM ) jumped over 5% after reporting earnings this morning. The Nasdaq 100 was little changed at 29,532.
In bond markets, the 10-year Treasury yield held near 5.11%, down about 3 basis points, while the 2-year yield stood around 4.76%. Weak housing data helped: September housing starts fell to 1.221 million annually, below the 1.305 million consensus, and pending home sales dropped 7.3% month over month. Tuesday's Performance In Major US Indices Index Last % Change MTD YTD S&P 500 7,713.16 +0.29% +0.81% +12.67% Dow Jones 52,424.37 +0.88% +2.98% +9.07% Nasdaq 100 29,532.37 +0.01% -2.88% +16.96% Russell 2000 2,768.89 +1.49% -1.00% +11.56% Updated by 12:19 ET According to the Pro platform: The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: VOO ) gained 0.3%.
The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE: DIA ) rose 0.9%. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ ) slipped 0.0%. The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM ) rallied 1.3%. Health Care Stocks Lead Among S&P 500 The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLV ) climbed 2.2% to a record high.
The Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLRE ) gained 1.7%, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLU ) rose 1.3% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLF ) added 1.1%. The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLY ) rose 0.7% and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLP ) gained 0.5%. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SMH ) added 0.3% after Monday snapped a nine-day losing streak, the longest in about 20 years. Equifax Inc.
(NYSE: EFX ) led Russell 1000 gainers, rising 11.4%, after third-quarter revenue growth of 10% year over year matched consensus, even as the company trimmed its 2026 revenue guidance midpoint to $6.661 billion on weak U.S. mortgage activity. TransUnion (NYSE: TRU ) gained 7.0%, trading higher alongside its credit-bureau peer. On the Downside Mueller Industries Inc.
(NYSE: MLI ) was the session's worst Russell 1000 performer, falling 8.8% after adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.00 missed the $1.05 consensus, even as revenue of $1.42 billion beat the $1.29 billion estimate. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLE ) fell 0.4% and the Industrials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLI ) slipped 0.2%, while the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLK ), Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLC ) and Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLB ) were roughly flat. Looking Ahead Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX ), Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
(SPCX) and United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL ) are scheduled to report after the close, with Netflix expected to post EPS of $0.82 on revenue of $12.88 billion. Elsewhere, Hasbro Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS ) gained 5.8% after a third-quarter revenue beat and a raised annual growth forecast, and Salesforce Inc.
(NYSE: CRM ) agreed to buy Braze for about $5.66 billion, or $47.50 per share in cash. Tuesday's Russell 1000 Top Gainers Name % change Equifax Inc. +11.36% Klaviyo Inc. (NYSE: KVYO ) +9.87% Whirlpool Corp.
(NYSE: WHR ) +8.21% Doximity Inc. (NYSE: DOCS ) +7.34% TransUnion +7.04% Tuesday's Russell 1000 Top Losers Name % change Mueller Industries Inc. -8.80% General Motors Co. -7.61% DPC Holdings PLC (DPC) -7.11% DaVita Inc.
(NYSE: DVA ) -6.44% Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE: HWM ) -5.24% Read Also: Is SK Hynix Stock a 270% Opportunity? Nomura Says Yes Image: Shutterstock