Nasdaq Ends Day at All-Time High

Utilities and other stocks that pay big dividends led US stocks mostly higher as bond yields fell, the AP reports. Edison International rose 2.4% Wednesday and Essex Property Trust, a real estate company, added 1.8%. The gains in high-dividend stocks came as bond yields fell, making those stocks more attractive to investors seeking income. Banks and other financial companies lagged the market. Citizens Financial dropped 3.4%. The Nasdaq composite notched another all-time high, while the Dow Jones industrial average edged lower. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1 point, or 0.1%, to 2,294. The Dow fell 35 points, or 0.2%, to 20,054. The Nasdaq composite rose 8 points, or 0.2%, to 5,682. (More Dow Jones stories.)