Source: Sharecast
As of 1435 BST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.15% at 42,584.20, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.22% to 5,983.51 and the Nasdaq Composite came out of the gate 0.26% firmer at 19,450.21.
The Dow opened 64.56 points higher on Wednesday, modestly extending gains recorded in the previous session despite a mixed batch of economic data.
Wednesday's primary focus was news that private sector employment in the US rose less than expected in May, according to figures released on Wednesday by ADP. Employment increased by 37,000 from April, versus expectations for a 110,000 jump. Meanwhile, April's gain was revised from 62,000 to 60,000. The data also showed that year-on-year pay growth for job-stayers was little changed in May, at 4.5%, while pay for job-changers rose 7%, unchanged from April's revised figure.
"After a strong start to the year, hiring is losing momentum," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. "Pay growth, however, was little changed in May, holding at robust levels for both job-stayers and job-changers."
Tensions between the US and China were also drawing an amount of investor attention early on Wednesday after Donald Trump took to social media to say that Chinese president Xi Jinping was "very tough, and extremely hard to make a deal with!!!". Beijing urged the White House to "return to the right track" in trade negotiations.
Elsewhere, the US Senate has begun deliberations over Trump's massive tax cut bill, with majority leader John Thune already stating he believes that state and local tax deductions narrowly agreed upon by the House will have to change if the bill wants to have a chance of making its way through the senate. Former special government employee Elon Musk again voiced his disapproval of the bill, stating it defeated the purpose of the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-saving efforts. DOGE, named after a meme that became popular back in 2013, claims to have saved the American taxpayer around $170.0bn, significantly short of the "at least $2.0trn" Musk had initially promised.
Elsewhere on the macro front, US mortgage applications decreased by 3.9% in the week ended 30 May, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, following a 1.2% decline in the previous week. Applications to refinance a home loan fell by 4%, as did applications to purchase a home.
Still to come, S&P Global's May services and composite PMIs were slated for release at 1445 BST, while the Institute for Supply Management's May services PMI was set to be published at 1500 BST.
In the corporate space, shares of discount retailer Dollar Tree were down nearly 10% after it posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings on Wednesday but issued guidance that disappointed Wall Street.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Dow Jones - Risers
Intel Corp. (INTC) $20.29 2.79%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $27.78 2.17%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $373.08 1.39%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $349.51 1.37%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $62.37 1.30%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $139.55 1.24%
3M Co. (MMM) $148.12 1.18%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $77.14 1.17%
Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $264.47 1.09%
Boeing Co. (BA) $213.43 0.93%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $71.22 -1.17%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $301.22 -1.15%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $154.46 -0.63%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $43.87 -0.61%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $166.90 -0.55%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $276.38 -0.10%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $312.62 -0.09%
Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $0.00 0.00%
Visa Inc. (V) $366.07 0.15%
Walmart Inc. (WMT) $99.98 0.21%
S&P 500 - Risers
Dollar General Corp (DG) $112.57 15.85%
Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) $16.86 7.46%
CenturyLink Inc. (LUMN) $4.11 6.75%
Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $63.84 6.40%
Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $96.72 6.01%
Fluor Corp. (FLR) $43.41 5.44%
Apache Corp. (APA) $18.27 5.42%
Arista Networks Inc. (ANET) $94.50 5.26%
NetApp Inc. (NTAP) $103.66 4.95%
Sl Green Realty Corp. (SLG) $60.01 4.57%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) $0.75 -5.89%
CME Group Inc. (CME) $282.31 -2.89%
Macerich Co (MAC) $15.82 -2.16%
Gap Inc. (GAP) $21.95 -2.10%
Mid Amer Apt Commun (MAA) $152.42 -2.09%
Public Storage (PSA) $303.52 -2.09%
Extra Space Storage (EXR) $150.01 -2.00%
Welltower Inc (WELL) $152.43 -1.95%
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) $47.32 -1.70%
Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $166.18 -1.69%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $63.84 6.40%
Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) $96.72 6.01%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $102.25 4.15%
Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $123.23 3.42%
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) $256.85 3.27%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $53.77 3.03%
Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $71.03 3.02%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $140.63 2.91%
Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $161.74 2.84%
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $141.22 2.80%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $2.77 -21.75%
Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $166.18 -1.69%
Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOG) $167.71 -1.56%
JD.com, Inc. (JD) $32.41 -1.37%
Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $5,475.07 -1.15%
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $390.80 -1.01%
Vodafone Group Plc ADS (VOD) $10.30 -0.96%
Trip.com Group Limited (TCOM) $63.05 -0.94%
Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) $67.04 -0.70%
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) $666.85 -0.60%