US stocks mark longest ‘bull market’ ever after mixed session

US stocks graduated into the longest-ever “bull market” Wednesday after a mixed session as investors weighed optimism over trade talks with uncertainty generated by US political turmoil.

At the closing bell, the S&P 500 was down less than 0.1 percent at 2,861.87, marking a more than nine-year stretch during which Wall Street avoided a drop of 20 percent from its peak during the stretch.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3 percent to 25,734.89, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.4 percent to 7,891.06.