The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that United States stocks were on track for a second consecutive record close on Wednesday but gave back early gains after Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari suggested a gradual rate increase. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post reports that strong earnings showed high demand for artificial intelligence. While SpaceX shares fell, Nvidia rallied following Elon Musk's endorsement of its computing plans. The S&P 500 index advanced 0.2 per cent as of 11:17 a.m., after setting a closing record on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq 100 index wavered between gains and losses. West Texas Intermediate crude was little changed, trading around $76 (U.S.) per barrel, as President Donald Trump said Tuesday that talks with Iran were "moving along very nicely" and Iran's foreign ministry announced it had agreed with Oman on the proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Truist Advisory Services's Keith Lerner says: "The weight of the evidence continues to support giving the bull market the benefit of the doubt. Earnings remain our north star, the economy continues to show resilience, market participation has broadened and valuation excesses have largely been worked off."