Stocks roared past their all-time record highs on Tuesday, powered by rising tech shares and robust quarterly earnings from retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot. The S&P 500 index closed with a record high of 3,389 on Tuesday, erasing all losses since the coronavirus pandemic took hold. The Nasdaq Composite also closed with a new record high, topping 11,210. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly down, at 27,778. The soaring stock market comes despite an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent and a Main Street economy that continues to be ravaged by the pandemic. |