NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) Stocks on Wall Street fell on Tuesday but the key S&P 500 index posted its best returns in five months for August as the blue-chip indicator extended a winning streak in place since February.
The S&P 500, which groups the top 500 stocks on the New York Stock Exchange, closed at 4,523, down 6 points, or 0.1 percent on the day. For the month, the index gained 2.9 percent, its most since a 5.3 percent rise in April. The index has nevertheless risen every month since the start of 2021, except for January, and has returned 20.4 percent on the year.
The Nasdaq Composite Index, which includes stocks of technology giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google, settled at 15,259, down 7 points or 0.04 percent.
While Nasdaq was only up for a third month in a row compared to the S&P's seven-month winning streak, the tech bellwether outperformed the blue-chip indicator with its August return, which came in at 4 percent. That was the highest for the Nasdaq since a 5.5 percent return in April. For the year, the Nasdaq was up 18.4 percent.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the broadest US equity barometer on the NYSE that lists mostly industrial stocks, settled at 35,361, down 39 points or 0.1 percent on the day. The Dow climbed 1.2 percent in August, gaining for a second month in a row. For the year, it was up 15.5 percent.
