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NEW YORK — Bank stocks jumped Tuesday on hopes that bigger profits are ahead, and indexes again pushed to record highs.
Stocks had been mostly lower when the day's trading began, but indexes reversed course after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told a Senate committee that the central bank could raise interest rates as soon as next month. Bond yields jumped immediately afterward and fed through to shares of banks, which can benefit from higher rates by charging more for loans.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9.33 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,337.58 for its sixth straight day of gains. Earlier in the day, it was down as much as 0.3 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 92.25 points, or 0.5 percent, to 20,504.41. The Nasdaq composite rose 18.62, or 0.3 percent, to 5,782.57. Slightly more stocks rose on the New York Stock Exchange than fell.
Yellen's testimony on Capitol Hill was much anticipated, but she said little to alter most investors' expectations. The Fed raised interest rates in December for just the second time in a decade, and Yellen said the strengthening job market and a modest move higher in inflation should warrant continued, gradual increases in interest rates.
Waiting too long to raise rates “would be unwise” and could eventually force the Fed to raise rates rapidly to catch up, Yellen said. But she also repeated the word “gradual” to describe expectations for future increases.
“Yellen seemed to have her dancing shoes on this morning and was able to steer clear of any comments that might upset the market,” said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist and director of asset allocation at RidgeWorth Investments.
Stocks have been on a strong run driven by expectations for more help for businesses from Washington, an improving economy and stronger-than-expected corporate earnings. The S&P 500 is up 9.3 percent since Election Day.
A demonstration of how much optimism is feeding into markets: Small-business owners say they haven't felt this encouraged in 12 years, according to a monthly survey released Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business. Optimism made a sharp turn higher following the election, and more small businesses are saying they're planning to hire.
Of course, such a high degree of excitement also leaves the possibility for disappointment if expectations aren't met.
“With the new president, there is still the uncertainty of the economic policy,” said Jeff Carbone, co-founder of Cornerstone Financial Partners in Charlotte. “How much growth we get out of the market will affect policymaking and how quickly they need to react.”
Yellen's testimony helped the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rise to 2.47 percent from 2.43 percent late Monday.
The yield on the 2-year Treasury rose to 1.24 percent from 1.21 percent, and the 30-year Treasury yield climbed to 3.06 percent from 3.03 percent.
While higher bond yields can help banks, they can also mean less demand for stocks that pay big dividends. Utility stocks in the S&P 500, which are some of the market's highest yielders, fell 0.7 percent. It was the largest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the index. Real-estate investment trusts, which have relatively big dividend yields, were also weak.
General Motors jumped $1.72, or 4.8 percent, to $37.24 for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 following news that France's PSA Group, maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, is exploring a deal to buy Opel, GM's money-losing European business.
Cynosure, which makes devices used in laser body contouring, hair removal and skin care, soared after agreeing to be bought by medical device maker Hologic. Hologic will pay $66 a share, or $1.57 billion, for Cynosure, which had about $434 million in revenue last year. Cynosure rose $14.43, or 28 percent, to $65.93 while Hologic fell 99 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $39.03.
Stocks were relatively steady across the world. In Europe, the German DAX index was virtually flat, while the French CAC 40 rose 0.2 percent and the British FTSE 100 edged down 0.1 percent. In Asia, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was close to flat, while the South Korean Kospi index dipped 0.2 percent and the Japanese Nikkei 225 index fell 1.1 percent.
Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 27 cents to settle at $53.20 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 38 cents to $55.97 a gallon in London.
Natural gas fell 4 cents to $2.91 per 1,000 cubic feet, heating oil rose a penny to $1.64 per gallon and wholesale gasoline was close to flat at $1.55 a gallon.
Gold fell 40 cents to settle at $1,225.40 per ounce, silver rose 7 cents to $17.89 an ounce and copper fell 5 cents to $2.74 a pound.
The dollar rose to 114.22 Japanese yen from 113.62 late Monday. The euro dipped to $1.0572 from $1.0600, and the British pound fell to $1.2465 from $1.2529.
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