US stocks again hit fresh highs at the close on strong consumer confidence data

4.10pm Wall Street finishes higher driven by positive consumer confidence The S&P 500 ended just in the green to set another record high, closing at 4,292 points. The Nasdaq also moved up to record intraday and closing highs at 14,528 point, while the Dow closed slightly higher at 34,292. 12pm: US stocks still mixed  US indices were mixed again at the midday point as trader sentiment appeared to wane  a little despite a positive set of US consumer confidence numbers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained over 81 points at 34,364. The S&P 500 added around four at 4,295, which was off an earlier high of 4,300. The tech laden Nasdaq index lost nearly six points at 14,494. The consumer confidence index jumped to a reading of 127.3 in June, the highest level since February 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, and up from 120 in May this year, according to official data. "This rise in confidence jars with the assessment of the US economy by Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, who said that the US economy is still in a very deep hole," noted chief market analyst at CMC markets Michael Hewson. "This comes across as a little hyperbolic given the strength of recent economic data, and the strength of today’s sentiment numbers." 10am: Proactive North America headlines: New Pacific Metals Corp (CVE:NUAG) (OTCQX:NUPMF) (FRA:3N7A) commences initial discovery drill program at Carangas Silver Project in Bolivia Marble Financial Inc (CSE:MRBL) (OTCMKTS:MRBLF) (FRA:2V0) launches new marketing program with North America’s largest provider of private group discounts and employee perk programs BioLargo Inc (OTCQB:BLGO) says engineering subsidiary on a hot streak with new contract awards TechX Technologies Inc (CSE:TECX) (OTCMKTS:TECXF) (FRA:C0B1) closes C$5M acquisition of merchant services gateway XPort Digital Binovi Technologies Corp. (CVE:VISN) (OTCQB:BNVIF) announces expansion of its preferred reseller and distribution relationship with The Bernell Corporation Else Nutrition Holdings Inc (CVE:BABY) (OTCMKTS:BABYF) (FRA:0YL) says it will begin distribution at 16 Huckleberry’s Natural Market location Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp (CSE:CANN) (OTCQX:HERTF) sees dramatic jump in fiscal 2Q profit and revenue fired by its six brands Mawson Gold Limited (TSE:MAW) (OTCPINK:MWSNF) (FRA:MXR) increases footprint and improves continuity of high-grades with South Palokas drilling in Finland Idaho Champion Gold Canada Inc (CSE:ITKO) (OTCMKTS:GLDRF) (FRA:1QB1) acquires private surface and mineral rights at Champagne Project Tribe Property Technologies Inc (CVE:TRBE) partners with property developer Landa Global Properties Braxia Scientific Corp (CSE:BRAX) (OTCMKTS:BRAXF) (FRA:496) launches clinical training program for medical professionals interested in psilocybin-assisted therapy Maverix Metals Inc (TSE:MMX) (NYSEAMERICAN:MMX) (FRA:7781) says it has acquired a portfolio of royalties from Pan American Silver Mandalay Resources Corporation (TSE:MND) (OTCQB:MNDJF) (FRA:R7X2) exploration drill results at Björkdal bode well for future mine development BioPorto A/S (CPH:BIOPOR) (FRA:2P4) developing point-of-care test for SARS-CoV-2 on the proprietary gRAD platform American Manganese Inc (CVE:AMY) (OTCMKTS:AMYZF) (FRA:2AM) uses its recycling tech to produce cathode material suitable for today's EV batteries 9.37am: Wall Street starts mixed The main indices on Wall Street have made a mixed start to Tuesday’s session as momentum that recently notched record highs began to slow a little. Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.49% at 34,452 while the S&P 500 rose 0.16% to 4,297. The Nasdaq was the outlier, falling 0.15% to 14,478. Sentiment may have been boosted by the resumption of dividend payments by major US banks, although June's US consumer confidence figures due alter could shift the balance. 7:50am: Wall Street to open on an uneven footing Wall Street is set for a fairly steady start after more record highs on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is expected to open 58 points or 0.15% higher, while the other two main indices are flat to marginally negative. Following last week's news the major banks had successfully passed the Federal Reserve's latest stress tests, many of them have said they will boost their quarterly dividend payments. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is the latest, and has seen its shares climb more than 3% in pre-market trading as a result. On the data front, there are June's US consumer confidence figures due later (although Friday's non-farm payroll numbers are likely to be the focus of most attention). On the confidence data, Michael Hewson at CMC Markets said: "[This] has seen quite a rebound in the last few months, from lows of 88.9 at the beginning of the year to 117.5 in April in the aftermath of the March stimulus payments that arrived on US doormats in April. While the recovery in sentiment has been impressive it is only being intermittently reflected in consumer spending with retail sales underperforming in May, declining 1.3%, though we did see some improvements in March and April of 10.7% and 0.9%. "Nonetheless while the US economy is improving, sentiment still appears to be fragile, with rising gasoline prices acting as a brake on demand due to supply disruptions, while rising prices in other areas of the economy may well also be affecting demand. "Expectations are for consumer confidence in June to rise to 119, from 117.2." Four things to watch for on Tuesday: Companies in the earnings diary include financial data firm FactSet Research Systems Inc (NYSE:FDS), defence contractor AeroVironment Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) and mining firm NovaGold Resources Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:NG) United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) could draw attention after the carrier unveiled plans to purchase 270 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft in its largest-ever order Bitcoin could also be in focus following news that Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has filed paperwork with the SEC for a Bitcoin ETF On the macro front, there is little else in the calendar for Tuesday aside from US house price data, however, some may be interested in a speech from European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde