Within striking distance of 22,000 reaching its fifth consecutive record high notching another 72 big ones, the Dow closed just 36 points shy of the landmark.  The banks are what pushed the index this time and Apple, coming with expected good news after the bell, will likely push it further tomorrow.  Tech is up 22 percent so far this year, the Dow up 11 percent despite a rapidly declining confidence in Trump’s agenda.  Q2 reporting is two-thirds complete with 72% beating forecasts compared to the historical average of 64 percent.  (Why do investors believe these forecasts when they are wrong two times out of three?)  If the market was looking to Q2 to justify the high valuations, the wish is being granted which means this bull market still has legs.  Volume was slightly above average at 6.2 billion shares. 

tue AUGUST 1, 2017 / 6:35 pM

Dow ascends to record high and nears 22,000

Noel Randewich

DJ: 21,963.92  +72.80    NAS: 6,362.94  +14.81       S&P: 2,476.35  +6.05     8/1

(Reuters) - The Dow Jones Industrial Average racked up a fifth straight record high on Tuesday and neared the 22,000 mark, powered by Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and other banks.  Apple rose 0.89 percent as Wall Street awaited the largest publicly listed company's quarterly report after the bell, with the iPhone maker expected by analysts to post a 6-percent rise in revenue.  The S&P 500 information technology index .SPLRCT is up 22 percent year to date, leading other sectors.

The Dow has risen 11 percent in 2017, even as Wall Street loses confidence that President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress this year will cut taxes and increase spending on infrastructure.

"The market takes the good and immediately discounts the bad," said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management. "It's an accomplishment, given that all of this has happened with the backdrop of no progress in Washington on anything."

With two thirds of S&P 500 companies having reported their second-quarter earnings, 72 percent have beaten Wall Street's expectations, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. In a typical quarter, 64 percent of companies beat expectations.

Those results may reassure investors worried about high valuations. The S&P 500 is trading at about 18 times earnings estimates for the next 12 months, above its 10-year average of 14 times, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.

The Dow .DJI rose 0.33 percent to a record-high close of 21,963.92. It pierced through the 20,000 milestone in January and the 21,000 mark barely one and a half months later.  The S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.24 percent to 2,476.35 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 0.23 percent to 6,362.94. 

The S&P financial index .SPSY led with a gain of 0.81 percent. JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) rose 1.34 percent and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) added 0.74 percent. 

Economic data showed U.S. consumer spending barely rose in June as income failed to increase for the first time in seven months. 

Under Armour (UA.N) fell 10.38 percent to a record low after the sportswear maker cut its full-year sales forecast.  Automaker Ford (F.N) fell 2.41 percent and General Motors (GM.N) lost 3.39 percent after they reported lower monthly sales.  Sprint (S.N) jumped 11.15 percent after swinging to a quarterly profit for the first time in three years, while Xerox (XRX.N) rose 5.84 percent after its profit beat expectations. 

About 6.2 billion shares changed hands in U.S. exchanges, marginally above the 6.1-billion average over the last 20 sessions.