Investors remained in a record-setting mood Tuesday, edging the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index to their latest all-time highs.

Pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies led the broad pickup in stocks, extending gains for the S&P 500 and Dow. The Nasdaq notched its first gain this week.

A positive outlook from homebuilders and encouraging news from Japan and Germany also helped lift markets.

The major stock indexes opened flat on Monday, but quickly began to rise and continued to build on their gains throughout the day as investors piled into health care stocks. Pharmaceutical giant Actavis (ACT) led all stocks in the S&P 500, vaulting 8.7 percent. Medical device maker Medtronic (MDT) climbed 3.3 percent.

The energy sector lagged the rest of the market as the price of oil resumed its slide.

All told, the S&P 500 index added 10.48 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 2,051.80. Its previous closing high was set Monday.

The Dow rose 40.07 points, or 0.2 percent, ending at 17,687.82. That's just 0.2 percent higher than its most recent record close last Thursday.

The Nasdaq composite gained 31.44 points, or 0.7 percent, to finish at 4,702.44.

Nine of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 notched gains, led by health care stocks. The sector is up 23.5 percent this year. Telecommunications stocks declined.

The rally builds on a market rebound in recent weeks powered by strong corporate earnings and easing concerns among investors about the spread of Ebola and economic growth overseas.

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Health care leads a healthy day on Wall Street