Stocks in Japan and Australia dropped while equity index futures for Hong Kong also drifted lower. Contracts for US stocks also slipped in early Asian trading after the S&P 500 climbed 0.2% on Wednesday to set a new high, with defensive sectors outperforming in a sign of investor caution.
US stocks today: Dow posts closing record high, S&P 500, Nasdaq muted as AI rally pauses
US stocks ended mixed as the Dow hit a record closing high driven by healthcare and consumer gains, while tech and chip stocks lagged. Banking