Stocks Closed at Record High

U.S. stocks eked out small gains with all three benchmarks closing at records on Wednesday, as Apple-led losses in tech stocks were offset by gains in consumer discretionary and energy stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 39.32 points, or 0.18%, to 22,158.18. The S&P 500 added 1.89 points, or 0.08%, to 2,498.37. The Nasdaq Composite gained 5.91 points, or 0.09%, to 6,460.19.

Oil tallied a third straight gain Wednesday, with U.S. prices settling at a five-week high and Brent at its highest since April. October West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery added $1.07, or 2.2%, to settle at $49.30 a barrel. November Brent climbed 89 cents, or 1.6%, to end at $55.16 a barrel.

Target announced Wednesday it will hire about 100,000 seasonal workers this year, a gain of more than 40 percent from last year’s 70,000. Target also said it will add 4,500 jobs at its distribution centers, in anticipation of more online orders.