Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices have stayed on an upward path with the S&P 500 (+0.7%) inching to a fresh session high with its February record (6147) looming just above.

The advance has received solid support from most sectors, which is outweighing slight underperformance in top-weighted technology (+0.5%) as a modest loss in third-largest component—Apple (AAPL 200.48, -1.08, -0.54%)—holds the sector back from showing a bigger gain.

Elsewhere, the industrials sector (+1.1%) is among today's outperformers with defense stocks contributing to the strength, which is lifting the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA 184.86, +2.82, +1.55%) to a fresh record high.