FINANCIAL MARKETS

NEW YORK—U.S. stocks rose to record highs Tuesday as banks kept rising and retailers climbed after some encouraging job data.

It was the second straight day for big gains in bank stocks as bond yields pushed higher, which allows banks to charge higher rates on loans. Retailers rose after the Labor Department said job openings and hiring both grew in July, and more people quit their jobs to take new ones. That left investors hopeful people will shop and spend more.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 8.37 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,496.48. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 61.49 points, or 0.3 percent, to 22,118.86. The Nasdaq composite picked up 22.02 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,454.28.

The S&P 500 finished at a record Monday and the Dow finished a fraction of a point above the record it set in early August. The Nasdaq surpassed the record it set on Sept. 1.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies got a bigger boost from the job openings report and jumped 8.64 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,423.46.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.16 percent after it jumped to 2.13 percent Monday. That helped banks. Bank of America added 59 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $23.95 while Citizens Financial Group gained $1.02, or 3 percent, to $34.48. Companies that pay big dividends like utilities and real estate investment trusts didn’t do as well as the rest of the market, as income-seeking investors were drawn to bonds.

Stocks were coming off their best day since late April. They rose Monday as Hurricane Irma weakened without doing as much damage as some forecasts had predicted last week. Investors were also relieved that tensions between the U.S. and North Korea didn’t get any worse following a national holiday there.

Job openings posted by U.S. employers rose 0.9 percent to 6.2 million in July, the Labor Department said. That’s highest on records dating to 2000. Hiring also increased and more people quit their jobs, which often means they are leaving for jobs that pay better. That helped smaller, domestically-focused companies and retailers. Gap jumped $1.67, or 6.4 percent, to $27.61 and Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands advanced $1.46, or 3.9 percent, to $39.36. Energy companies traded higher as benchmark U.S. crude added 16 cents to $48.23 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 43 cents to $54.27 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $1.66 a gallon. Heating oil remained at $1.74 a gallon. Natural gas climbed 5 cents to $3 per 1,000 cubic feet.