On Monday, July 8th, U.S. stock markets closed mixed, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching record highs as investors anticipated upcoming inflation data, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments, and the start of the earnings season. Out of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes, six fell, with communication services leading the decline, while information technology and materials stocks ended the session higher. Paramount Global fell 5.3% after announcing a merger with Skydance Media. Boeing gained 0.55% after agreeing to plead guilty to a fraud charge and paying a $243.6 million fine related to the 737 MAX crashes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.08% and closed at 39,344.79. The S&P 500 gained 0.10%, ending the day at 5,572.85, ...