S&P Ekes Out a Win After Run to Record High

U.S. stocks started the session higher, but lost steam as the day progressed. The S&P earlier surged past 2,900 for the first time ever, before ending the day with a slight gain. The Dow and Nasdaq also ended a wobbly session in the black, with the latter touching another all-time high north of 8,000. Focus still remains on President Donald Trump's efforts to push NAFTA into the past, with the White House now zeroing in on getting Canada on board, following yesterday's trade deal with Mexico.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• 25 stocks to snag before September.
• This drug stock more than tripled today.
• 2 pharma stocks destroyed on an FDA rejection.
• Plus, founder and CEO Bernie Schaeffer on the latest gold signal; the shoe stock at a 3-year high; and Lululemon lands a bull note.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 26,064.02) picked up 14.4 points, or 0.06%. Walmart (WMT) led the 12 advancing blue chips with a 1.6% gain, while Boeing (BA) paced the 18 losers with a 0.7% drop.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,897.52) gained 0.8 points, or 0.03%, after earlier touching a record high of 2,903.77, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 8,030.04) saw a gain of 12.1 points, or 0.2%, after hitting an all-time peak of 8,046.31.

The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 12.50) added 0.3 point, or 2.8%.

5 Items on our Radar Today

1. Financial study site GOBankingRates shared a survey revealing that despite the high cost of housing, it was the outlandish cost of living that caused residents of the state of New York the most financial stress. A separate survey by the company also placed New York as the fifth most expensive U.S. state to live in. (CNBC, GOBankingRates)
2. President Trump today accused Alphabet (GOOGL) subsidiary Google of having a politically biased search engine, hiding "fair media" coverage of his administration. Despite the company's denial of the claim, Larry Kudlow, the White House's economic adviser, said an investigation will be opened. (Reuters) 
3. Founder and CEO Bernie Schaeffer shared the gold signal turning everyone into a contrarian. 
4. The shoe retailer that hit a 3-year high on an impressive beat-and-raise.
5. Lululemon (LULU) stock landed a bullish analyst note before earnings.

Data courtesy of Trade-Alert

Oil, Gold Close Lower

Crude futures fell in today's trading, as speculators took profits ahead of tomorrow's weekly inventories report. October-dated oil shed 34 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $68.53 per barrel.

Despite a lower dollar, gold finished the day in the red. December-dated gold lost $1.60, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,214.40 an ounce.