Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 eye records, Nasdaq gains as Wall Street flies high into Christmas holiday

US stocks ticked upward in midday trading on Wednesday morning after the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) hit its latest record on Tuesday, setting up Wall Street to ride into the Christmas holiday on a high note. The blue chip-focused Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) led the way up, gaining 0.5% to come within striking distance of a fresh record high. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) picked up 0.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained a bit under 0.2%. Markets close early on Wednesday for Chris ...