LIVE MARKETS-Wall St, amid doldrums, drifts to fresh record closing highs

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WALL ST, AMID DOLDRUMS, DRIFTS TO FRESH RECORD CLOSING HIGHS

U.S. stocks shuffled higher on Monday, with little in the way of corporate results or economic data to help or hinder their upward momentum.

All three major U.S. stock indexes gained on the day, notching all-time closing highs.

The Nasdaq led the way, boosted by tech shares .SPLRCT, which ended the session up 1.7%. This, despite worries prompted by Trump's announced $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, a move that could limit access to highly skilled workers in specialty fields such as technology and engineering.

Nvidia NVDA.O jumped 3.9% after the chipmaker said it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI and supply it with data center chips, linking two of the highest-profile players in the artificial intelligence race.

Apple AAPL.O advanced 4.3% following Wedbush's price target hike, which the broker attributed to early signs of strong demand for the gadgetmaker's iPhone 17.

Disney DIS.N lost 1.1%, having briefly pared losses after the entertainment conglomerate announced Jimmy Kimmel would return on Tuesday. The company's shares spent much of the session down more than 1% as Senate Republicans raised concerns about Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr threatening Disney-owned television network ABC with regulatory action if they continued to air "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Fed officials on Monday cast doubt on whether further interest rate cuts are necessary at this time, with inflation still well above the central bank's 2% target and a job market remaining near full employment.

On Tuesday, remarks from Fed Vice Chair Michelle Bowman are expected at 09:00 EDT, while Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic is expected to add his two cents at 10:00 EDT.

Also on Tuesday, Autozone AZO.O and Micron Technology MU.O are slated to post quarterly results. On the economic front, S&P Global is due to release its advance "Flash" purchasing managers' index (PMI) for September, which is expected to show the U.S. manufacturing and services sectors' continued expansion is losing some steam.

Here's your closing snapshot:

(Stephen Culp)

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