Utilities lead sector gains, Amazon outperforms the Magnificent Seven, and small caps finish lower.U.S. stocks closed mostly higher Tuesday, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq 100 finishing at record levels. The Dow also advanced, but the small-cap Russell 2000 moved lower.The gains came with some interesting differences beneath the surface. Utilities were the strongest sector by a wide margin, while networking and data-center infrastructure names dominated the individual winners. However, several semiconductor stocks fell sharply. Buyers were making a play, but they were selective.The session began with lower Treasury yields and weaker crude oil, providing a more supportive backdrop for equities. Those were early-session developments; the closing stock performance showed that buying extended well beyond the largest technology companies.U.S. stock closing levelsDow Industrial Average: 51,526.14, up 253.03 points (+0.49%)S&P 500: 7,818.92, up 44.96 points (+0.58%)Nasdaq Composite: 27,599.79, up 122.48 points (+0.45%)Russell 2000: 2,830.30, down 16.84 points (-0.59%)Nasdaq 100: 31,224.47, up 148.03 points (+0.48%)The S&P 500 led the percentage gains among the major indices. The Russell 2000’s decline was the exception and a reminder that record highs in the larger indices do not mean every part of the market is moving higher.Utilities lead; healthcare is the only declining sectorTen of the 11 S&P sectors finished higher:Utilities: +3.01%Consumer discretionary: +1.39%Real estate: +1.13%Communication services: +0.96%Industrials: +0.90%Materials: +0.65%Financials: +0.55%Energy: +0.44%Consumer staples: +0.18%Information technology: +0.16%Healthcare: -0.16%Utilities’ gain stood out against the S&P 500’s 0.58% advance. Meanwhile, the modest gain in information technology masked some very large moves in both directions.That distinction matters. The Nasdaq closed at a record, but this was not a session when traders could buy any technology stock and expect it to follow the index higher.Amazon leads the Magnificent SevenSix of the seven stocks finished higher, with Amazon the clear outperformer:Amazon: $256.29, +1.95%Microsoft: $529.30, +0.78%Tesla: $380.68, +0.51%Alphabet: $347.68, +0.35%Apple: $333.63, +0.22%Nvidia: $239.24, +0.14%Meta: $738.88, -0.41%Nvidia participated in the advance, but its daily gain was modest. Nevertheless it is the only Mag 7 that closed at a record level (with some well off all-time highs). Amazon did more of the heavy lifting within the group, while Meta was the lone decliner.Networking and data-center names dominate the winnersSome of the strongest gains came from companies involved in networking, connectivity and computing infrastructure:Ciena: +13.85%Astera Labs: +7.58%Nebius Group: +7.40%Corning: +6.02%Marvell: +5.81%CoreWeave: +4.95%Cisco: +4.54%Arista Networks: +4.09%Outside that group, Lennar gained 3.99%, GE Vernova rose 3.96%, and On Holding advanced 3.95%.Ciena’s nearly 14% advance was particularly impressive compared with the broader indices’ gains of less than 1%.Chip stocks and biotechnology feature among the losersThe technology gains were far from uniform:Western Digital: -6.93%SK hynix ADR: -6.39%KLA: -4.54%Lam Research: -3.44%Intel: -3.18%Other notable declines included:Moderna: -7.75%BAE Systems ADR: -3.99%ARK Genomic Revolution ETF: -8.84%SPDR S&P Biotech ETF: -3.39%The message from those moves is straightforward: a bullish index does not remove the need to assess the individual stock.What should traders take from the record closes?A record close is a bullish development. Buyers pushed the indices higher and held enough of those gains through the closing bell.The next question is follow-through. Can buyers build on those records, and can more stocks participate? The breadth is not that great. For the S&P 500, the previous record closing level at 7,798.98 provides a nearby reference for the next session. Tuesday’s close finished above that benchmark. Staying above it would support the buyers’ case; slipping back below would raise the question of whether the latest push higher is losing momentum. It is a closing benchmark, rather than a guarantee of support.For newer traders, Tuesday offered a useful lesson: use the broader market to understand the backdrop, then use the individual stock’s technical levels to define bias, risk and targets. Ciena surged while Western Digital fell sharply, even as the Nasdaq reached a record close. The index gives you context. The stock still has to make its own bullish case.Related analysisAlthough the broader indices are looking to close at record levels, the Magnificent 7 (sans Nvidia) lag behindThe Nasdaq composite index is trading at a new record high. How do you measure the next technical targets? This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.