The Nasdaq composite held up the best among the major indexes, but wavered and was up just 0.2% in recent trades. The S&P 500 also wavered and edged into positive ground after falling 0.8% Monday. Small caps outpaced the market, with the Russell 2000 index lifting 0.5% higher. The Russell ended a six-day winning streak Monday.

Federal Reserve's June minutes of meeting and Nvidia's brush with a $4 trillion market capitalization were in focus Wednesday as Nasdaq closed at a new record high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 ended with gains for the first time in three sessions.