GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc

By Mark DeCambre and Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch

The IBB is on track for its worst daily drop since October

The Dow industrials and S&P 500 on Wednesday opened slightly lower, but were trading within striking distance of records ahead of a key meetings by European and U.S. central banks that has kept investors cautious.

A rapid advance in stock-market indexes since the Nov. 8 presidential election fueled a euphoric rally has raised some concerns that equity values have become overextended. A second decline in crude-oil prices also has kept investors on the sidelines.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading steady at 19,258, but ahead of its all-time closing high set Tuesday. A 0.8% rise in Goldman Sachs Group(GS) helped support the blue-chip benchmark, while a 1.8% slump in shares of Johnson & Johnson(JNJ) weighed on the gauge.

The S&P 500 index slipped about 3 points, or 0.1%, at 2,209, with all but one of the S&P 500's 11 sector in positive territory. Health-care led the way lower, with a 1.9%, decline, after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to cut drug prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/president-elect-trumps-promise-to-bring-down-drug-prices-sends-biotech-etfs-slumping-2016-12-07). The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF(IBB), the most widely used way to place bets on the biotech business, sank 3.3%, and was on track for its worst daily decline since Oct. 11, according to FactSet data.

The IBB's drop weighed on the Nasdaq Composite Index which saw the biggest decline among the three main benchmarks, down 0.4% at 5,312.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 finished 0.3% higher, within 0.1% of its Nov. 25 record close of 2,213.35. The Dow gained 0.2% and finished at an all-time high for a second straight session (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-reaches-for-a-fresh-record-but-itll-be-a-struggle-2016-12-06). The Nasdaq Composite added 0.5%.

The stock market's postelection climb has been underpinned by hopes that President-elect Donald Trump will follow through with a slate of pro-business policies, including boosting infrastructure spending and cutting taxes for the wealthy.

However, some strategists and traders are concerned that a pullback (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gundlach-says-the-trump-trade-is-losing-steam-2016-12-02) might be in the offing.

"It appears that nothing can stop the equity rally," said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets UK, in a note.

"If you look at the volatility index, it has dropped near the 11 handle, which confirms that appetite for riskier assets is strong," he added, referring to the CBOE Volatility Index . "Buying volatility at these levels may not be that much of a bad idea."

Read:Why the rally by U.S. stocks is 'just getting started'--in one chart (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-the-rally-by-us-stocks-is-just-getting-started-in-one-chart-2016-11-28)

Other markets:European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/credit-suisse-miners-push-stoxx-europe-600-toward-highest-close-since-september-2016-12-07) gained, with banks and miners among the session's big winners, and Asian markets closed broadly higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bank-stocks-surge-as-asian-markets-post-gains-2016-12-06). Oil futures (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-continue-to-backtrack-as-investors-question-opec-deal-2016-12-07) retreated, while gold futures and a key dollar index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-flattens-out-as-investors-look-ahead-to-fed-ecb-meetings-2016-12-07) were modestly higher.

Individual stocks: Ahead of the opening bell, Brown-Forman Corp.(BFA) reported quarterly sales that topped estimates (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brown-forman-sales-top-estimates-sticks-with-full-year-view-2016-12-07), as the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey backed its full-year forecast. The stock wasn't yet active in premarket trade.

Handbag seller Vera Bradley Inc.(VRA) cut its full-year outlook (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/vera-bradley-shares-slump-as-company-cuts-outlook-2016-12-07) after missing its own guidance range for the third quarter. Shares were tumbling 11% in early trade.

Economic news: Investors are looking for a report on consumer credit at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Investors are also bracing for the European Central Bank's policy-setting meeting (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-italys-no-vote-might-be-the-ecbs-silver-lining-2016-12-05) on Thursday. The Federal Reserve entered the so-called blackout period Tuesday ahead of its meeting Dec. 13-14, so there are no Fed speakers on the docket.

Check out:

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 07, 2016 10:03 ET (15:03 GMT)

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