New York (AFP)

The New York Stock Exchange started slightly higher Tuesday after hitting records the day before, driven by the technology sector.

Around 2:00 p.m. GMT, the Dow Jones index advanced 0.21%, the Nasdaq gained 0.28% and the extended S&P 500 index gained 0.18%.

On Monday, the Dow Jones had gained 0.61% to 35,335.71 points.

The technology-intensive Nasdaq jumped 1.55% to 14,942.65 points, reaching a new record since August 5.

The S&P 500, up 0.85%, was a few fractions below its last record at 4,479.53 points.

"The week started well with many downside buys which took the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite to record levels," said Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com.

"This positive tone has faded a bit but it has not completely disappeared," added the analyst.

In the bond market, yields on 10-year Treasuries climbed to 1.27% from 1.25% the day before as investors watched for the speech of Jerome Powell, the boss of the US Central Bank (Fed ) at the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) conference on Friday.

His comments on the economy could give clues to the Fed's plans to reduce monetary support by cutting back on asset purchases.

But after fearing a monetary tightening before the end of the year, as the minutes of the last Fed meeting published last week seemed to indicate, some investors now believe that the Fed will remain accommodating for some time yet, wary of the impact of the Delta variant on recovery.

"Speculation is rife that the Fed may remain accommodating at its Jackson Hole symposium," Schwab analysts noted.

In the wake of a rebound in oil prices that began on Monday, the oil majors regained strength such as Exxon (+ 1.14%) or Chevron (+ 1.42%).

On the Nasdaq, cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks climbed more than 16% to $ 432 after reporting good results and promising a good year.

Other sector titles followed, such as Fireye (+ 2.65%).

In the distribution sector, Best Buy was up 6.21% to 119 dollars.

The electronics and appliance chain reported better-than-expected results and raised its forecast for the rest of the year, a sign that American consumers are back.

The anti-Covid vaccine maker Pfizer (-2.65% to 48.70 dollars) and its German partner BioNtech (-4.80% to 363 dollars) gave ground after climbing the day before thanks to the announcement of the fire final green from the US health authority for its vaccine.

© 2021 AFP