S&P 500, Dow close at record highs for fifth straight day

U.S. stocks finished Tuesday’s thinly-traded sideways session essentially flat, but still mustered enough forward momentum to post record highs for the fifth straight trading session.

The S&P 500 SPX, +0.07%  added 1.42 points to 2,039.68, registering a fresh record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.01%   ended the day essentially flat at 17,614.90. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.19%  rose 8.94 points, or 0.2%, to 4,660.56.