Ticker: Wall Street hits more records as Tesla zooms; FTC unanimously moves to block Tempur Sealy’s purchase of Mattress Firm
Tesla zoomed higher and helped drive the U.S. stock market to more records on Tuesday.
The S&P 500 added 0.6% to top its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 162 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.8% to its own record set a day before.
Tesla led the way with a 10.2% jump after the electric-vehicle maker reported a milder drop in sales for the spring than analysts expected. Modest gains for other big, influential stocks also helped lift the market, including a 1.6% climb for Apple.
FTC unanimously moves to block Tempur Sealy’s purchase of Mattress Firm
The Federal Trade Commission has unanimously voted to bring a lawsuit against mattress maker Tempur Sealy to block its $4 billion acquisition of Mattress Firm, saying the deal would allow the world’s largest mattress supplier to suppress competition that would result in higher prices for shoppers.
The deal was announced in May 2023. At the time, analysts had praised the acquisition and said it would allow Tempur Sealy to expand its distribution and reach more consumers at a crucial time for increasing sales. Acquiring Mattress Firm would also help Tempur Sealy buck the current slowdown in sales, caused by the cost-of-living crisis and many households having upgraded their mattresses during the pandemic, analysts said.
Mattress Firm, Houston, operates more than 2,300 brick-and-mortar retail locations and an e-commerce platform.