New York (AFP)

The Nasdaq and S & P500 ended on a record Wednesday, but the Dow Jones was plagued by the disappointing results of Boeing and Caterpillar.

The leading index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, fell 0.29% to finish at 27,269.97 points.

The Nasdaq, with strong technological color, gained 0.85% to 8,321.50 points, a level never reached.

The broad index S & P 500 took 0.65% to close at 3,019,56 points, also a record.

The Nasdaq has been worn throughout the session by the health of the semiconductor industry, including the manufacturer Texas Instruments, which saw its title jump 7.4% after announcing better than expected results on Tuesday.

"Semiconductors are doing well, their momentum is positive," said Tom Cahill, Portfolio Manager for Ventura Wealth Management

"As these are leading Nasdaq companies, this is pushing the index up," he said.

Moreover, the anticipation of a fall in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) at its meeting on July 30 and 31 was greeted with enthusiasm on the side of investors.

The New York Stock Exchange was also awaiting announcements by European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi, who could send signals on a future monetary easing in the eurozone, at the banking institution's meeting on Thursday.

Contrary to some apprehensions, the hearing of the former prosecutor in charge of the Russian investigation Robert Mueller Wednesday before the Congress did not affect the main clues.

"There were fears that Mueller's testimony would have a negative impact on the Trump administration and jeopardize the debt relief budget deal, but none of this has happened," noted Mr. Cahill.

The Dow Jones, however, suffered from poor results Boeing, which announced a record net loss of $ 2.94 billion in the second quarter, a consequence of the setbacks of the 737 Max, his flagship aircraft grounded for more than four months after two accidents made 346 dead.

His accounts were precipitated in the red by a colossal charge of 5.6 billion. His title lost 3.1% Wednesday.

"Boeing weighs heavily in the Dow Jones and its poor results largely explain the decline observed today," said Mr. Cahill.

Caterpillar, which reported its results Wednesday, also disappointed with a sharp contraction of its activity in the Asia-Pacific region. The group, considered one of the barometers of economic activity, saw its action fall by 4.5%.

In the bond market, the interest rate on the US ten-year debt fell to 2.0480% after ending at 2.081% Tuesday at the close.

Among the other values, the UPS stock jumped 8.7% after the strong results released by the logistics group, which posted a net profit of $ 1.68 billion, up 13.5% year-on-year .

Facebook, which announced its results after the close, gained 1.5% despite a record $ 5 billion fine imposed by the US federal authorities (FTC).

Snap, parent company of the Snapchat messaging platform, took 18.8% after better than expected results.

© 2019 AFP