Dow's Early Trade Into Record Territory Powered By Rally In Wal-Mart's Stock

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading slightly higher, but enough to put it in record territory, on Thursday, supported by a 1.5% climb in shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. . The retail giant's climb, which contributed about 7 points to the price-weighted blue-chip indicator, came as rival retailer Target Corp. raised its guidance for fiscal second-quarter earnings, providing a rare boost for embattled brick-and-mortar retailers. The S&P 500's consumer-discretionary sector, which includes many popular retailers, was among the best performers of the S&P 500's 11 sectors, up 0.3%. The S&P 500, overall, was trading up 0.1% in early trade, with the Nasdaq Composite Index up 0.2%, on pace for its fifth straight advance.