Stocks are near records in large part on the belief that the U.S. economy will indeed continue to grow, now that the Federal Reserve has shifted to cutting interest rates to give it more juice. The Fed last month lowered its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years and indicated more cuts will arrive through next year.

U.S. stocks are slipping in early trading, and crude oil prices are continuing to rise as the world waits to see how Israel will respond to a missile attack from Iran