Record highs across-the-board for the benchmark US indices as preliminary assessments showed Hurricane Irma caused less damage that initially feared and as it remained all quiet on the North Korea front (with the 15-member United Nations Security Council approving fresh trade sanctions against the rogue state on Monday - Dow up +61-points or +0.28% and the broader S&P500 +0.34% (notching both record intra-day and closing highs and closing in on the 2,500 level). Financial stocks traded strongly again, buoyed by comments from US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin that he was "hopeful" that tax reform would be accomplished by year's end, adding the administration is thinking about backdating reform to January 1. The technology-centric NASDAQ recovered from losses earlier in the session to close +0.34% higher and mark its first record closing high since September 1. Apple closed down -0.42% after choppy trading as the company hosted its annual consumer products launch and unveiled the iPhone 8 and iPhone X models (the latter carrying a US$1,000 price tag).
