the nasdaq is in the black. it had been black after leading. >> nonetheless, a powerful follow-through. with that, let's check it into "squawk alley" and the team. >> thank you very much, simon and sara. >> bernie sanders is expected to endorse hillary clinton. remember he -- by double digits, we're going to take their opening coaches live when they take the stage. we're told they're running about 10, 15 minutes late. in the meantime we're at post 9 in the new york stock exchange, where the dow says an intraday high. s&p does it for the second day in a row. bob pisani has been watching the act. >> the floor has busy.

the important thing is the dow is sitting essentially near highs. we're not getting a large number of breakouts in either the dow or the s&p 500. >> exxon is at a new high, but this has been a story for the last couple days. ge is essential there, approximator and gamble are essentially there. i think some of being high-priced names are not moving as much as p.m. is sitting there, united parcel, illinois tool works, but the defense names have been sitting there for a while, boeing, there are a number of big stocks in the dow that is a long, long way from report highs.

27%, this is from a 52-week high. apple is a loan ways away from the -- amex, nike hit a high back in 2015. >> down to about 13% right now. so remember something, boeing is one of the higher priced stocks. the do you is a all the more remarkable that we have hit new highs. a long, long way from that 52-week high. >> thank you very much. >> let's bring in ben willis, along with politico's chief economics correspond ben wayne. good to see you both on an interesting day. what does today mean, essentially? it's a continuation.

it's been a long time coming. we're starting to understand the relationship between the intervention of central banks, and the arbitrage that's taken place there, which has kept a lid on u.s. interest rates, but i believe normally would be higher without that arbitrage. also the idea that the u.s. economy is doing just fine, thank you, even though it's being demonstrated in the global indices, you need to watch the russell catch up on all of this. the fact of the matter is, if you try to bring in the quaint at a timive easen, i think that lowers that number and expectation and gives the equity marx a lot more room to run. >> what's a lot more? >> maybe 10% by the end of the year? >> really? >> your money is at great risk in the fixed-income market. we have seen the success of the utilities and the dividend-paying stocks, if you will, but the rest of the world economy appears to be improving not anywhere near the velocity

we would like to see it improve, but that being said, the u.s. led this market lower eight, ten years ago, it's going to lead us back out. that's where you need to be. >> ben white, john's number of 287,000, stock market here at home at record highs, how does that change the conversation on the campaign trail? >> first, i want to thank ben for 10%, i will take that any day in my 401(k). obviously if you're hillary clinton, these are numbers you like to see, 287, big relief from the 11,000 in may. doesn't like -- and if you've got markets after report highs, it makes it harder for donald trump who i think would -- heading into this election. we're not clearly. we have good -- it's not terrible, all in all, that's good for the democrats. >> are we see main street participate in this rally, though? there could still be a conversation to be had.

how did that really help? >> it doesn't. the overall art that trump will still make is wages are not going up. i think prime were freaked out by brexit, those, look this could be a game changer for the global and u.s. economy. the clinton campaign was worried about it, but less worried about it now. at the same time inequal is still an issue. it's better than it was, and certainly could take rout dow over the alternative to that. >> some have said the market's performance is an indication that investors are plenty comfortable with trump or with clinton at this point. do you feel that way?

on you do you think once we get into the conventions themselves we'll see more of an impact of the rhetoric, the policy statements on the actual direction of the market? i realize i think what we are seeing in the campaign in the united states of america is a -- is played out in brexit. the average individual in every country is sick and tired of what's been going on. that's a function of politics and their government. the economic impact is entirely different. the wealthier men i ever knew in my life before i came to wall street was a guy who said if you want to live republican, vote democratic. the greatest market we have every seen was under bill clinton, maybe a reprehensible dog, but nonetheless the greatest market we have ever seen. that's the reality of the numbers in the stock market, that's what's happened. what happens now with clinton, whether she gets in or trump gets in, i think there's far

more going on in the he political arena. we've seen the economies of the world will take care of themselves if the people are are allowed to take back cross. >> this is the economic catastrophe of the over into 'bama administration. i do wonder if trump takes over, if he starts to late and has a good convention, something bad happens with hillary clinton, do you think markets would be as calmed if it looked to them like trump might win this thing? irnts i think trump from his economic position is more democratic that is traditional republican. so i think the stock market in and of itself will view his ability and the way he has manipulated the market while running his industries, is

something who should benefit the american sthoemd. >> thank you, ben. in the meantime were monitoring that joint event? portsmouth, where sanders is expected to endorse hillary clinton for president. good morning, john. >> good morning, carl. you may have forgotten how tense that primary was between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. it's been a few months just as a rerefresher, let's play a bit. >> i think it's to end the smear, and let's talk about the issues. let's talk about the issues that divide us and -- >> oh, let us talk about issues. >> we goth agree with campaign he reform. >> let's talk about issues. >> let's talk about issues.

he's been lobbying to try to come in his direction. here are some of the fruits of that conversation. now they call for a $15 minimum wage. that was what he campaigned for in the primaries second, calling for a public option, but it fell by the wayside when the bill was passing. finally the democratic platform has called and hillary clinton has called for free public universities for families -- children of families under $125,000 a year. all of those are things that bernie sanders says makes this the most progressive democratic platform ever. that's why bernie sanders is going to be standing with her in portsmouth, new hampshire. they'll do the photo when they

raise the hands together, he's going to say he endorses her and that's what hillary clinton wants going into the convention so she can pull her party together. she's done a fairly good job so far, but still lacks some of those sanders supporters. she wants them united going into the fall against donald trump. >> john harwood, thank you for setting that up. we are on the last speaker before we expect to see clinton and sanders. on the other side of the aisle we're a week away from the republican national convention in cleveland. eamon javers is there. >> reporter: cleveland takes center stages next week with the republican national convention. a lot of the delegates are already here in town. they have started the prep work, all the security preparation for the trump coronation next week, but a lot of political maneuvers going on. we saw some of the platform committee folks working diligently, and today and potential interesting and potential significant development last night as a federal judge sided with a

virginia republican republican called bo carell, he doesn't want to vote for trump even though his state went for trump statewide in the primaries. that means that delegate may be unbound. the other delegates may be unbound. that may have a ripple effect to others who say they don't want to vote for donald trump either. we'll have to see if any of that gets momentum, bears any political significance. for now we are starting to see the ripples of political instability. a lot of people we've been talking to here at the convention are saying they're expecting wild days ahead. of course, just within the next couple days, or any day now, really we're expecting donald trump to pick a vice presidential candidate. he says he ace down to four, and we'll have to wait and see who he picks. >> another great political parlor game. in advance of the rnc next week. let's bring back ben white, as we await clinton and sanders.

let's drill down into some issues. john mentioned education, but taxes, trade, what will get -- >> i think education is the main one. sanders won more young voters under 30 than trump and clinton combined. what they said to hear about is this free college tuition plan, stay tuned debt relegality. taxes a bit less so. so i think that's the focus today, is on telling these people, look, hillary clinton understands that you're under water with your student loans, understands you're afraid how much it will cost you and your kids, so that's the key issue. >> ben, how does bernie sanders pull this off without losing the sense of authenticity that has been his trademark? does he have to give a paul ryan

style endorsement? i don't think he's -- we've see ryan multiple times have to backtrack off things he's said. the plat much looks a lot like -- he can say i'm endorsing here. i've been a lot of things that he wanted are now in the democratic platform. it's not just capitulation, it's look what we've got, come on board. >> it took four weeks. the fact it's happening today. is it a given now that the young people and women that sanders had before are automatically gut to side with clinton's campaign? >> absolutely now. it's going to take time. this event was a weeks of back -- a lot of -- there will

still be hashtags saying they view it as a process of multiple weeks leading up to the convention. plenty of millennial still won't vote for her, but you want as many young people as you can. >> does it move the needle outside of new england? >> sure. it doesn't necessarily matter where you are, a lot of these swing states have plenty of younger voters who generally don't turn out, but got psyched for sanders. if sheould convince them she's not an establishment water candidate, i think they'll show up. it matters in all of those states. >> so this is the first time we're going to see them

together. how much does it matter how much that we see them together? bernie sanders going across the country with hillary clinton? this elect will be will thuts jam, is it not? >> absolutely. it matters a lot how on which we see him. you really want that arm raised moment saying we're in this together, so i think they'll roll them out basically whenever they can, specifically if it's education-related events, if it's campaigning in colleges, college campuses will be big for him. he's huge with the college kids who love bernie. they'll roll him out. i think sanders and warren will be the two political supporters that clinton will need to get the enthusiasm up. >> we all remember the debate when he told her no one cares about your damn e-mails. can he still that in the post-comey and post-lynch testimony kind of environment? >> i think that initial comment got construed. he clarified that.

he wasn't saying the e-mails were not important, he was sick of talking about it without getting to other issues. she has a big trust gap, so that's not going to go away. sanders can't make it go away, but if you've got somebody who was beating her up as not qualified to be president, remember he said that, coming back saying yes she is, and they plays over, maybe some of those numbers get better. >> but he's not a civilian. he's a senator. what does his political career look like? >> i think he's going to run again, as a democrat rather than an independent. he's sort of back in line -- now, he ran as one in the primary, but he is an i in vermont. if you endorse hillary, you become a big part of the campaign eventually you'll run as a democrat. he's built up an amazing grass-roads fund-raising network that a lot of people were surprised by. >> john harwood, both you and ben have made the point that

education is near the center of today's conversation. does that mean that sanders will not push her farther to the left on tack and trade? >> well, i think he -- once the hands go up today, the worse "endorsement" comes out and photos get taken, he's lost leverage beyond anything he's already done. no, i don't think he's going to move her anything more than he's already moved her, and bernie sanders is somebody who, as ben said, he's going to be around. he's got a future within the senate as a leader of the progressive movement, but he's probably had his most influential national day in politics already through this national process. >> i think some of the back and forth, i'm thinking of bob iger at disney, several jeff immelt who responded in text and a commencement speech.

does clinton pick up any of that fire from sanders? >> i think hillary clinton benefits somewhat from a heat shield represented by her husband's presidency, and her connection to that. now, the issues are different, the country is different. she has moved and flowed with those differences, but i do think she benefits from some presumption of basic hose hospitablity. and you would -- because of his views on trade and immigration, he doesn't really have that ability. he's actually staked out a position to her left on trade. that makes is easier for hillary clinton to appeal to business. >> we've been watching senator jeanne shaheen, the last of the speakers at the docket and in

the next few moments, the fact that we made this earlier that it's happening in new hampshire is in some ways a deferential move on the part of clinton. >> yeah, sanders won that state by so many votes. you'll remember in 12008, it was also in new hampshire where obama and clinton did an event in new hampshire. it's significant because it was a big bernie sanders state. it's not exactly a swing state. it favors democrats, but trump could play there, so shoring that up as a blue state for the general election makes some sense. there's a lot of reasons to do it. >> what do you think trump's response is today? >> he's going to -- >> he's already responded, carl, by saying that bernie sanders is totally sold out and made his fans angry. that is a prelude to donald trump trying to appeal to those fans and say, you're dissatisfied with the status

quo, go with me. the problem is there are huge cultural differences between the kind of people who came out for bernie sanders and the center of gravity of donald trump's campaign. so i don't think there's going to be a lot of crossover, but donald trump is going to try to make it as large as possible. >> certainly he's tried, and some of his appearances in front of the press. i've always been curious about the circularity. is it impossible, ben? >> it's largely impossible. i think john is right about that. trump wants to appeal to these supporters partly on the trade stuff by saying he's against the tpp, against nafta and at the margin there might be some disaffected blue-collar democrats that will appeal to, but most of the aggress of coalition is way in 23r069 -- the women supporters of sanders will not go trump. it's much more likely those sanders voters either don't show up or vote for hillary. >> take a moment to watch some

of the theater as clinton and sanders set aside an extended period of disagreement to make this moment happen. acrimony that i'm sure you'll agree took a lot of insiders by surprise. >> it did. the vitriol, the level of attacks, and that moment when he said he didn't view her as qualified was a big moment. he did walk it back, but that's a lot to say about your opponent who did ultimately win. >> his enthusiasm is something we're used to seeing, if we don't get it are there certainly key words or phrases that you're going to be listens for if you just sort of give it up? as we do now. you want to see a lot of energy behind his remarks.

i don't want to see specific words other than i endorse hillary clinton for president. >> okay. >> but anything that sort of targets trump and makes it clear to trump voters that he is not an option, they want to hear that. just a forthright case why hillary clinton should be the next president and not donald trump, and right now he looks like he's waving and smiling. >> i think the keyword is "endorse." but remember one other thing. hillary clinton also has president obama as a supremely effective surrogate within the party. he's very popular, over 80% with sanders voters. so she has a -- not only the endorsement of sanders today, but she has president obama's ability to rally some of those very same people. >> yeah, that's right. i think we're seeing a larry david/snl cold open being right here before our eyes. >> if only snl weren't dark for the summer. >> they should come back.

>> this is not happening in a political vacuum, the president is on the way to dallas with ted cruz and will meet george w. bush there for the memorial service in honor of those fallen officers. loretta lynch has already been on the hill today, the house judiciary. the veep stakes continues, the rnc is a week away. as we started this conversation a day in which the dow has said a new record high, all of that in place as this season takes a any chapter. here's senator sanders. chp [ cheers and applause ] . >> bill mckibbin, jim dean, governor hassan, senator shahin, thank you very much for your kind remarks. let me begin by thanking the 13 million americans who voted for

me during the democratic primaries. [ cheers and applause ] >> and thank you, new hampshire! for give us our first great victory. and a very special thanks to the people of the state of vermont, whose support for so many years, as a mayor, as a congressman, as a senator and a presidential candidate, have sustained me and jane and our entire family. vermont, thank you. let me also thank the hundreds of thousands of volunteers throughout this country in every state of the union, who worked so hard on our campaign and the

millions of contributors who showed the world that we could run a successful national campaign based on small, individual contributions. 2.5 million of them! together we have begun a political revolution to transform america and that revolution continues. [ cheers and applause ] together we will continue to fight for a government which represents all of us and not just the 1%.

a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice. i am proud of the campaign we ran here in new hampshire and across the country. our campaign won the primaries and caucuses in 22 states and when the roll call at the democratic national convention is announced, it will show that we won almost 1900 delegates. far more than almost anyone thought we could win.

but it is not enough to win the nomination. secretary clinton goes into the convention with 389 more pledged delegates than we have and a lot more super-delegates. secretary clinton has won the democratic nominating process -- [ cheers and applause ] -- and i congratulate her for that.

she will be the democratic nominee for president, and i intend to do everything i can to make certain she will be the next president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] i have come here today not to talk about the past, but to focus on the future. that future will be shaped more by what happens on november 8th in voting booths across our nation than by any other event

in the world. i have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why i am endorsing hillary clinton -- [ cheers and applause ] -- and why she must become our next president. during the last year, i have had the extraordinary opportunity and extraordinary opportunity to speak to more than 1.4 million americans at rallies in almost every state in our country.

i was also able to meet with many thousands of other people at smaller gatherings, and the profound lesson that i have learned is that this campaign is not really about hillary clinton or donald trump or bernie sanders or any other candidate who sought the presidency. this campaign is about the needs of the american people and address i addressing -- and addressing the very serious crises that we face. and there is no doubt in my mind that as we head into november, hillary clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that.

it is very easy to forget and republicans want us to forget where we were 7 1/2 years ago when president obama came into office. as someone said a moment ago on twitter, welcome to the general election. bernie sanders officially endorsing hillary clinton. john harwood, your thoughts of how he has framed this? >> he certainly demonstrated some of the qualities that made him stubborn about getting to this moment. he rolled off how many states he had won, how many delegates he had won. he indicated he wants a roll call at the convention. we'll see. typically the unsuccessful

candidate will concede and there's a unanimous roll call when that happens, but it seemed to indicate he wanted a roll call. but nevertheless he came out and said he will he will do everything he can to make sure hillary clinton is the president. he talked about a political revolution that's started, that's the kind of blessing that hillary clinton wanted. we still haven't gotten to the end where he turns to her and they raise their hands together and all that, but we're getting there. >> ben white, he's always used the "e" word. >> yes, he endorsed with a smile on his fate. he did spend time talking about bernie sanders saying i got all these votes, i think you noticed hillary clinton stopped smiling a bit, but she was waiting for him to get to the mom that everyone was waiting for, and that's what they said to hear. i think you have to give him

some space to say we did a pretty major thing with this campaign, with he defied expectations and brought all these people in. you deal with a bit of that to get the endorsement and what comes with it. >> he did mention the platform committee. >> he did. >> and as you pud it, look at what he got. >> he wanted to tell supporters, i'm not throwing down this campaign, we dot minimum wage, we got college tuition, we got environmental regulations in the platform. to tail so those supporters, you should move to clinton, you might not at this point be that enthusiastic, but she has adopted a lot of things you want, so give her a second look. this is bernie sanders saying to supporters, it's time to unify and make sure you show up for hillary. >> doesant it look pretty clear that he's not going to be the vice presidential pick? >> yes. >> it seemed to take him a while -- >> he is absolutely not going to be the vice presidential pick.

>> i'll go with john on that. >> he took the scenic route to even saying i endorse. he didn't block that out as its own statement or look too thrilled about it. >> that's bernie being bernie. that's who he is. it's still pretty close to when he got out of these campaign. up until a few weeks ago, they sought a path to victory. these campaigns are difficult to let go. stepping away is hard. it's natural the first thing he would do is acknowledge his supporters and what they did for him. >> finally as a coda, donald trump has just put on his website, quote, bernie is now officially part of a rigged system, something you predicted just a few moments ago. guys, thank you so much for setting us up and getting through that. meanwhile, dow and s&p close to session highs, we're back after a short brack. brake. i asked my dentist if an electric toothbrush was

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. u.s. stocks hitting record highs. meanwhile, equities around the world are in the green. simon is back to wrap up the uk and europe's close. >> from the payroll rally that we had yesterday, catching up in europe and then into today. the banks in general around europe, you can see italy is up almost 3%. i'll come back to that. the uk is underperforming, one of the reasons is sterling or uk appointed is beginning to rise in fact above 1.32, so it's up

2 1/2 cents. the big news clearly is theresa may is presumably tomorrow going to be person, and there is she becomes the permit. that's the way they do it in the uk. they're moving to the edge of the political power base. we'll see who she ends up she has said she will kin the brexit the question is whether she speeds that process up, because the conservative battle is wrapped up two months early or kicks into last year. the feeling is you have stability, and that's why -- i mentioned the italian banks are doing well today.

under credit. they can do that, you also have reuters reporting separately that the longstanding desire to create a fund, a new fundsh and many they're trying to -- meanwhile, we have a preannouncement from the maker of mercedes, saying the profits are higher than people expected. daimler is trying to chase -- and it looks like it should achieve that. >> good to have you back, simon. >> nice to be back. >> stock ares -- as the s&p continues to rise. could the dow join in on reaching those new highs as well? let's bring in howard silver, and jeff klein.

howard, we'll start with you, every time we get to these levels we talk about the valuations, and the fact that earnings may not look that good. are we going to be talking about that this time around? >> by the end of this month we'll have over 70%, so it will put it more in perspective. the speculation could last for another day or so, but the actual numbers will start to come in. the negative part, of course, is that the banks are the first one out and they'll be the most tested and most most questioned, especially with low rates and what's happening in the uk. >> well, jeff, we've been hearing about how lower rates have been helping people get cheaper mortgages, helping companies refinance 30-year debt at prices they used to pay just

six months ago, but what do you expect the effects will actually be of a yield curve that's not only flattening, but in some cases getting inverted? >> elsewhere around the world, an inverted yield curve, but we have to be looking at what is but we're not seeing -- which is what you shouldly rising short-term rates, this time falling longer-term rates which may not have the same implications. i'm also focused on earnings, and i thin it's earning, this post-brexit is only about a 2% hit towards forward earnings expectations. it may become deeper than that, but it's been fairly mild. i wonder what you expect to hear from the qv guidance, we were

just speaking from the ceos of micro solve and ge. they were talking about the anti-globalization backlash, and how that can raise costs for companies operating. is that going to start to show up in the near term? in the tone and guidance perhaps? >> well, short term it's difficult to move all those in. product sales could be a lot quicker, especially on, and obviously the europo and the yen, of course, which is a major situation now. so especially -- you can't or moving products around that quickly. that makes more time on here. i would expect some guidance, as well as impact on sales. the most probably from retail,

because they're the most sensitive, and also i.t., which has the greatest exposure on foreign sales. that 58% of their numbers are foreign in nature. >> meanwhile, we are seeing movie shift around in asset classes. there was a call this morning with reporters and they talked about the fact there are eight ipos on the road, six to eight in the pipeline, a line trading later this week, inflows into high yield. how much longer do you think risk will be on in this post-brexit market? >> i think a lot of it depends on, you know, whether we seal relative stability in economics and earnings. one thing i note is that the economic we've seen post-brexit have actually been fairly stable. we saw some sentiment gauges in france, other places, actually ticked up or even flat.

that would suggest a relatively benines revenue environment, not a big drop-off, suggesting earnings may indeed bounce back in 2017. that will be the key here. i think it's whether we sustain this bounce or it levels off a bit or even pulls back. earnings will be critical. >> what do you buy given that thesis? >> i think you want to look at where earnings are likely to be the best, the fed may resume rate hikes. that means good things for financials. the technology sectors could also be places where we start to see capital spending come back. >> howard, your thoughts on that? >> looking more towards the u.s. the u.s. is growing quicker. even if we do increase the rates, they won't be moving that quickly. which is supposed to do very well this year, obviously they're making up in volume,

their sales for what the margin is losing, similar to a retail store. they bp a place to go. is they are almost even. they done well this year, but looking at the 2017, i'm not sure if you're premature now to start buying in there, but the numbers are there. >> rates have been supposed to go up for several years at this point. we're still waiting. thank you both. >> thanks. when we come back, the countdown of the top states for business continues, but first rick, what are you watching today? >> well, of course i'm watching all-time highs in the stock

market. i'm watching unbelievable bounces in other stock markets in europe, and 'em the nikkei. i'm watching the italian banks make a majors comeback. it's like watching somebody who makes no mown buy a lottery ticket and celebrate he's found the answer to his problems. we'll discuss all that after the break.

stocks hitting new highs

today. what a great rotation could mean for your money as well. stephanie links loves amazon, o'leary calls did a ticking time bulk. and whether tesla could see trouble on the road ahead. see you in about ten. thank you. let's check in with rick san tellist. >> amazing times, carl, amazing times. while stocks are making their big run, and believe me we have talked many times, i think stock market in this country could continue to run. is it because it's got a granite foundation of fundamentals? no, but we have the best foundation and a very sand-like universe, but look at these charts. here's a two-day chart of 10s and 30s, realize we are up 13 basis appointments in each. i know you're thinking it was a good jobs report. it was at 8:30 eastern, these are the closing levels that we

are 14 basis points higher than. so it makes sense. stocks go up, we're getting some of that, but we haven't even gotten to the 157, one of major bottoms that was after the 166 bottom that we we are 14 basis higher than. so it made sense. stocks go up, getting some of that, but we haven't even gotten to the 157, one of the major bottoms after the 166 bottom that we took out. marching to different tunes here. how many of your guests pointed out strength in the equity markets? think about all the statements over the last several meetings, all the conferences and central bankers, did they sound optimistic? the balance sheets of those italian banks changed? no. consider, here's the cycle the markets are paying attention to. the bank of england. this thursday the 14th.

26th and 27th, our central bank. 27th and 28th, bank of japan. and all for pacman to eat and get em pourpowered by. we'll continue on the cycles for another issue we should be cognizant is, of what got on with high yield and investment grade? as you look at these charts, you see how the spreads collapsed, think about all of the dividend horsepower underlying the stock market, it's a new channel for how the ease of money and negative rates are putting up the equity markets. i don't see any loose change. i can tell you, interest rates can change on a dime, because they rrn built on bedrock, stimulus rates. >> thank you. and revealing the top days for business, coming up.

the countdown continues in just a moment. don't go away. or a sales event? the summer of audi sales event is here. get up to a $5,000 bonus on select audi models.

stop states day, tenth year of rankings, scott cohn has more of the countdown to number one. hey, scott. >> hi, carl. every state talks about their workforce. the ideas to hold the states to their own standards. this state gets bragging rights. here's state number three. colorado. the centennial state, comes in third this year with 1,555 of 2,500. up from fourth.

category, workforce. farris place in that all-important category thanks to a big influx of college educated workers. in fact, we found colorado's workforce is the most educated in country. those smart workers command high wages. one reason colorado finishes 37th in our cost of doing business category, but taxes are on the low side. the individual and corporate tax rate is 4.63%. the state's sale tax is 2.9%, but local taxes can push that up to 10.4%. with strong job growth and the second best economy in the nation, unemployment in colorado is well below the national average. colorado's largest employer is lockheed martin space systems, the largest industry, professional and business services. this is colorado's sixth appearance in our top five, and it ties with 2009 and 2010 for its best finish. so we messed up some of your guesses. keep on guessing,

topstates.cnbc.com. the top state revealed later on cn cnbc. >> love it. stocks setting record highs. dow's up 121, session highs awfully close. more "squawk alley" in just a minute. ♪ it's here, but it's going by fast. the opportunity of the year is back: the mercedes-benz summer event. get to your dealer today for incredible once-a-season offers, and start firing up those grilles. lease the c300 for $379 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing.

fascinating market day. the nasdaq has beaten the s&p for the past three years. trying to play catch-up. went green the first time for 2016. on the back of a lot of tech names, seegate. >> said they'd cut 14% of workforce by the middle of next year, got the stock up better than 22%. to be a worker and hear that news. great news. bad news. >> jpmorgan, could be looking at a wage increase for both of those companies announced in the last day or so, but your starbucks drink may go up by about 30 cents in price, too. >> jamie dimon up talking taking

minimum wage to $12 to $16.50 an hour. inflationary data later in the week. get to the judge. the "half" over at hq. all right, carl. thanks so much. welcome to the "halftime report." i'm scott wapner. top trade this hour, market milestones with the dow and s&p hitting highest levels ever today, is it time to play offense with your money? with us for the hour today joe terranova, stephanie link and jon and pete najarian and joining us for the hour, kevin o'leary, o shares investment chairman "halftime report" resident shark as well. stocks begin at all-time highs today in signs investors could be finally ready to play offense in the market. one sign of that, or a few of them, utilities and telecoms, two best performing sectors of the year lagging bigim