The S&P 500 rose Wednesday, eking out its 70th record close of 2021. The benchmark index ticked up 0.1% to 4,793.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 90.42 points, or 0.3%, at 36,488.63. The blue-chip average closed at a record for the first time since November and posted its sixth-straight winning day. The Nasdaq Composite bucked the trend and ticked down 0.1% to 15,766.22. 

The S&P 500 has closed at a record 28% of the time in 2021. This year has seen the second-highest number of record closes ever, behind 77 closing highs in 1995. 

Biogen surged roughly 9.5% and led the S&P 500 after a report in South Korean media said the biotechnology company is in talks to be acquired by Samsung. The deal would reportedly be worth more than $40 billion. Biogen declined to comment on the report. 

The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 index ended the day down 0.1%. British and Irish markets reopened after the Christmas holiday period. The FTSE 100 was up 0.7%, playing catch-up with other indexes in the region. 

Source: CNBC, Investing.com