US STOCKS-S&P 500, Nasdaq hit new highs as Salesforce fuels tech rally

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* Salesforce set for biggest one-day percentage jump
* Intuit , Hewlett Packard Enterprise gain after results
* Indexes: Dow dips 0.14%, S&P up 0.15%, Nasdaq rises 0.53%

(Updates to open)
By Medha Singh and Devik Jain
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes hit record
highs on Wednesday following upbeat quarterly results from
Salesforce and HP Enterprise as investors bought into
tech-related stocks that have thrived during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Salesforce.com Inc CRM.N , which is set to enter the
blue-chip Dow index .DJI next week, jumped 21.2% after raising
its annual revenue forecast on surging demand for its online
business software. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co HPE.N added 6.8% as its
full-year profit outlook came ahead of market expectations and
income-tax filing software firm Intuit Inc INTU.O advanced
1.7% after it reported a 17% rise in quarterly revenue.
The tech sector .SPLRCT climbed 1.1%, but eight of the 11
major S&P sectors eased.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have hit a series of record
closing highs recently, driven by stimulus and demand for
tech-focused stocks, even as economic data pointed to an uneven
recovery from a recession. A survey on Tuesday showed U.S.
consumer confidence hit a six-year low in August.
All eyes will be on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's address at the
virtual Jackson Hole Symposium before markets open on Thursday,
where he is expected to outline a softer policy stance on
inflation.
"We know that he's going to speak about inflation, and that
he's going to say that the Fed remains committed to use all the
necessary tools to help the economy as needed," said Peter
Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities
in New York.
"A lot of this is already in the marketplace, but the market
wants confirmation of it."
At 9:56 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI was
down 38.79 points, or 0.14%, at 28,209.65, the S&P 500 .SPX
was up 5.21 points, or 0.15%, at 3,448.83. The Nasdaq Composite
.IXIC was up 60.90 points, or 0.53%, at 11,527.37.
Nordstrom Inc JWN.N tumbled 4.4% after reporting a
bigger-than-expected loss as its stores were shuttered for about
half of the reported quarter and consumers stayed at home with
little need for designer clothes. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.42-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and for a 1.09-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 16 new 52-week highs and no new low,
while the Nasdaq recorded 44 new highs and two new lows.