Dow hits a record while Nasdaq loses steam

The big picture. U.S. stocks finish mixed. The Dow rises 0.5% to a record close, while the S&P 500 slips 0.2%, the Nasdaq falls 0.8% and the Russell 2000 loses 0.6%. Sector action is split, with Health up 1.3% and Materials up 1.2%, while Energy drops 2.1% and Comm Svcs falls 1.0%.

Volatility keeps grinding lower. The VIX falls 4.2% to 15.81, and the VIX 9-day drops 18.2% to 13.79. Treasury yields also edge down, with the 10-year at 4.617% and the 30-year at 5.174%.

Overseas, the tone is mostly firmer. The Nikkei rises 0.3%, the Kospi jumps 1.6%, the ASX 200 gains 1.4%, and the DAX, CAC 40 and Stoxx 600 all close higher. In FX, the dollar index slips 0.2% while the euro, pound and Australian dollar all gain against the greenback.

Crypto is steady to slightly higher. Bitcoin rises 0.9% to 64,618.8906, Ethereum gains 2.1% to 1,908.09, and the total crypto market cap increases 0.6% to $2.3T.