How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday

Stocks closed with modest gains Wednesday, nudging the S&P 500 index to an all-time high for the second day in a row

Stocks closed with modest gains Wednesday, nudging the S&P 500 index to an all-time high for the second day in a row.

Communications, financial and health care companies accounted for the bulk of the gains. A pullback in technology stocks, companies that rely on consumer spending and others kept the market’s gains in check.

The mixed trading came as investors become more optimistic that coronavirus vaccines could start driving a stronger economic recovery.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 6.56 points, or 0.2%, to 3,669.01.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 59.87 points, or 0.2%, to 29,883.79.

The Nasdaq composite slipped 5.74 points, or 0.1%, to 12,349.37.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies picked up 1.98 points, or 0.1%, to 1,838.03.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 30.66 points, or 0.8%.

The Dow is down 26.58 points, or 0.1%.

The Nasdaq is up 143.52 points, or 1.2%.

The Russell 2000 is down 17.24 points, or 0.9%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 438.23 points, or 13.6%.

The Dow is up 1,345.35 points, or 4.7%.

The Nasdaq is up 3,376.76 points, or 37.6%.

The Russell 2000 is up 169.56 points, or 10.2%.