Wednesday's opening level of 54,467.23 represented a further gain of roughly 381 points, or about 0.7%, from that record close, suggesting the rally that has defined trading over the past several sessions was carrying fresh momentum into the new trading day. A Historic Week for Major IndexesTuesday's session saw all three major U.S. stock benchmarks close at record highs simultaneously. The S&P 500 surged 1.79% to close at 7,736.52, its first record close in two months and a level that surpassed its previous closing peak set in early June. Strong Earnings Lift Individual StocksBeyond the macro backdrop, Tuesday's rally was also propelled by a wave of strong corporate earnings reports. Caterpillar led gains among Dow components, surging more than 5% and surpassing its intraday record set the previous month.