The Dow rose 218 points, or 0.5%, and topped its prior all-time high, which was set early this month. The S&P 500 index, which is much more important on Wall Street and dictates the performance of many more 401 (k) accounts, was essentially flat and finished 0.3% below its own record, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%.

The U.S. stock market is holding near its record heights on Tuesday as the floodgates open for companies reporting how much profit they made during the summer.