Wall Street ends at record high, led by financial stocks; Apple weighs

The major Wall Street indexes hit record closing highs on Tuesday, with financial stocks leading the charge, but gains were stunted by a decline in Apple Inc shares after it unveiled its latest line of iPhones.

The S&P 500, Dow Jones industrials and Nasdaq Composite clocked record closes, with investors drawn to riskier assets as concerns about US tensions with North Korea eased and the financial impact from Hurricane Irma appeared less severe than was feared last week.

After the closing bell, Nordstrom shares jumped 8.8 percent after reports that the high-end retailer chose private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners to help take the company private.

The financial sector was the S&P 500's biggest driver during the regular session as bank stocks were helped by rising US Treasury yields, while the utilities and real estate sectors lost ground.

"It's a better environment for risk assets. As long as these two issues - North Korea and the hurricane - have receded as concerns, it gives investors a green light to focus on stronger fundamentals," said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston.
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