By Echo Wang
(Reuters) – The S&P 500 and Dow ended at record highs on Tuesday, shrugging off weak consumer confidence data, as mining stocks surged following China’s announcement of a sweeping stimulus package.
The indexes initially trimmed gains after a report from the Conference Board revealed an unexpected decline in U.S. consumer confidence in September, driven by growing concerns about the labor market’s health.
“Today’s price action is predominantly about what happened overnight with the policy announcements from China, direct support for their equity market and pledges to cut interest rates in the future, has caused a really sharp move in international stocks in general,” said Zachary Hill, head of portfolio management at Horizon Investments in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“That’s feeding through into parts of the U.S. market, where you see some more China-sensitive, more cyclical industries like metals and mining materials…
