Midday Report: Dow Struggles After Days of Records; Square Halves Quarterly Net Loss

The Dow Jones Industrial Average struggled for direction after six straight days of record closes. Should the blue-chip index end higher, that will mark its longest record-breaking streak since mid-February. The tech sector weighed on the rest of markets. Services activity in the U.S. weakened in July to its lowest level in 11 months. However, the measure remained above the 50 level indicative of expansion for its 91st straight month. Factory orders in June rebounded at a slightly faster-than-expected pace. The Commerce Department reported a 3% increase in orders, reversing a 0.8% drop in May. Square Inc. (SQ) - Get Report halved its quarterly net loss and increased its outlook for the full year. A second-quarter loss of 4 cents a share beat estimates by a penny, while adjusted revenue surged 41%.