MARKET SNAPSHOT: Stock Market Holds Ground As Investors Await Earnings Deluge

Blue Apron tumbles after Amazon files a trademark for a meal kit service

U.S. stocks edged slightly higher on Monday, with major indexes trading near record levels as investors looked ahead to key quarterly results that will be released this week. Corporate quarterly results may help to shed light on whether current levels are justified by economic activity at American corporations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 8.5 points, or less than 0.1%, to 21,646, coming off an all-time closing high on Friday. The S&P 500 , which also ended at a record Friday, inched up by 2 points to 2,462. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 5 points to 6,317, a gain of nearly 0.1%.

Need to know:Investors should pay attention to this 'chart of the week, month and potentially year' (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-should-pay-attention-to-the-chart-of-the-week-month-and-potentially-year-2017-07-17)

While daily moves remain modest, they've largely trended to the upside. Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors rose on the day, while the declining ones--tech and industrials--were both down by less than 0.1%. The biggest gainers on the day were materials, up 0.4%, and energy, up 0.3%.

Whether stocks can extend further into record territory hinges partly on the outcome for earnings, with investors looking for signs that valuations are justified by the strength of corporate results, particularly given doubts about Washington's ability to deliver a roster of Wall Street-friendly legislations.

Some 68 S&P 500 companies will report this week, according to FactSet. Those include Bank of America Corp.(BAC), Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(GS), Microsoft Corp.(MSFT) and General Electric Co.(GE).

Read:Stock market poised to ride stellar earnings to new heights (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-market-poised-to-ride-stellar-earnings-to-new-heights-2017-07-15)

What will give stocks a push higher: While earnings are important, tax legislation remains the most important political issue for U.S. stocks, said Michael J. Wilson, equity strategist at Morgan Stanley, in a note to clients on Monday.

He said equity multiples must expand again for the S&P 500 to reach their 2017 target of 2,700, but the catalyst on that expansion would likely be "more policy 'certainty' rather than the outcome itself.

"No matter what gets passed in the next few months, we think just moving forward with a decision on the Affordable Care Act and taxes will provide the certainty necessary for companies and individuals to "act" on their higher confidence readings which have remained elevated," said Wilson.

The latest economic data was cautious, with the New York Fed's Empire State manufacturing index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/empire-state-manufacturing-index-retreats-in-july-from-two-year-high-2017-07-17)falling to a seasonally adjusted reading of 9.8 from 19.8 in June. Analysts were looking for a reading of 15.

Stocks to watch: Investment manager BlackRock Inc.(BLK) slipped 3.2% after reporting a profit and sales miss (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackrocks-stock-set-to-slip-after-profit-sales-miss-2017-07-17), despite massive inflows into its low-fee exchange-traded funds. Streaming giant Netflix Inc.(NFLX) is due to report its results after the close; the stock dipped 0.2% in early trading. Read a Netflix preview here (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/netflix-earnings-subscriber-additions-is-key-along-with-content-spend-2017-07-12).

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.(JBHT) gained 2.6% despite posting a profit that was below expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jb-hunts-stock-drops-after-profit-falls-below-expectations-2017-07-17).

Blue Apron Holdings Inc. tumbled 9.3% after Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN) filed a trademark for a meal kit service, suggesting the newly public company could face competition from retail giant that has already been spooking Blue Apron's investors with its proposed acquisition of Whole Foods(WFM).

Read:Four key sectors to watch closely this earnings season (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/four-key-sectors-to-watch-closely-this-earnings-season-2017-07-13)

Other markets: In China, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.4% (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-stocks-sink-after-central-banks-liquidity-injection-2017-07-16), but off earlier lows as data showed expansion in the world's second-biggest economy beat forecasts with 6.9% second-quarter growth (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-economy-beats-outlook-grows-69-in-q2-2017-07-16). Helping to spark the selling, Chinese officials at a financial conference hinted at tighter controls on the economy.

Opinion:China is playing a weak hand with the U.S (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-is-playing-a-weak-hand-with-the-us-2017-07-17).

European stocks traded mixed, with the FTSE 100 index gaining, but Germany's DAX 30 falling.

Oil prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/crude-prices-start-the-week-on-an-upbeat-note-2017-07-17) and gold futures were slightly higher. The dollar was slightly lower. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield was at 2.31%.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 17, 2017 11:32 ET (15:32 GMT)