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Indexes: Dow down 0.3%, S&P 500 flat, Nasdaq up 0.2%

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Strategy gains as MSCI keeps crypto treasury firms in

indexes

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Private payrolls rebound less than expected in December

(Updates for market open)

By Purvi Agarwal and Nikhil Sharma

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were mixed

on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and the Dow coming off their

intraday record highs after rallying in the previous two

sessions, while investors assessed ‌numerous economic datasets.

At 10:09 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average

fell 145.00 points, or 0.30%, to 49,317.08, the S&P 500

gained 0.78 points, or 0.01%, to ​6,945.60, and the Nasdaq

Composite gained 53.51 points, or 0.23%, to 23,600.68.

The Dow slipped from its record high and ‍remained about 1.5%

below the historic 50,000 level, while modest moves in the S&P

500 ⁠kept it at a record ⁠high, leaving the benchmark 0.7% shy of

the 7,000-point peak.

Wall Street surged on Tuesday amid renewed enthusiasm for

artificial-intelligence-linked stocks.

U.S. job openings fell more than expected ‌in November after

rising marginally in October, while a separate ADP ​report showed

that private payrolls increased less than expected in December.

Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital

Partners, said that investors could stay cautious over the next

couple of days, avoiding any ⁠outsized bets until the key nonfarm

payrolls report is released ‍on Friday.

Healthcare extended ​its gains on Wednesday, up 1.1%

to hit a record high, boosted by a 4% rise in heavyweight

drugmaker Eli Lilly ( LLY ). The Wall Street Journal reported on

Tuesday that Eli Lilly ( LLY ) was in advanced talks to ‍buy Ventyx

Biosciences ( VTYX ) for more than $1 billion.

Memory chipmakers that had surged in the previous session on

the prospect of chip shortages leading to price increases eased.

SanDisk ( SNDK ) and Western Digital ( WDC ) fell 2.6% and 10.2%

after climbing 27.5% and 10%, respectively, on Tuesday.

Materials also pulled back, down 1.6%, after

climbing over 2% in the previous session.

Wall Street's three main indexes appear to have started 2026

on a positive note, after marking their third consecutive year

of double-digit gains in 2025.

Markets will also ​keep an ‍eye on geopolitical developments,

including developments in Venezuela and the use of the country's

oil resources, following the capture of Venezuelan President

Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would refine ​and

sell up to 50 million barrels of crude stuck in the Latin

American nation.

The U.S. said it has seized a Russian-flagged,

Venezuela-linked tanker on Wednesday, marking Washington's

efforts to dictate oil flows in America's backyard and force

Caracas' socialist government to become its ally.

The White House said on Tuesday that Trump is discussing

options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the

U.S. military.

Among other stocks, Strategy rose 1.5% before the

bell after MSCI dropped a plan to exclude the bitcoin hoarder

and other crypto treasury firms from its indexes.

First Solar ( FSLR ) ​fell 8.2% after Jefferies downgraded

the solar panel maker's rating to "hold" from "buy", citing

recent project cancellations and margin pressures.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.56-to-1 ratio

on the NYSE, and by a 1.19-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 24 new 52-week highs and 8 new lows,

while the Nasdaq ‍Composite recorded 62 new highs and 33 new

lows.

(Reporting by Purvi Agarwal and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru;

Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)