NEW YORK, Dec 19 — US stocks drifted higher at the open today as investors mostly disregarded a House vote making US President Donald Trump the third American leader to face impeachment.

Lawmakers in Washington voted yesterday evening along party lines, formally accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction.

He will not face trial in the US Senate, where Trump’s fellow Republicans have control.

Investors were also digesting economic data that showed a weekly dip in claims for unemployment insurance but unexpected slowdown in manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region.

About 10 minutes into the trading session, the main indexes edged into record territory: the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average and tech-heavy Nasdaq were both up 0.2 per cent at 28,294.94 and 8,845.37, respectively.

The broader S&P 500 saw a smaller gain, rising 0.1 per cent to 3,195.40.

Analyst Patrick O’Hare of Briefing.com said low interest rates, persistent consumer spending and relief at the apparent truce in US-China trade relations kept investors from heading for the exits.

This added to "simple buying momentum for a market that has been repeatedly impervious to breaking down in the face of bad news,” O’Hare wrote.

Shares of Dow-member Boeing gained 0.5 per cent despite the fact Moody’s downgraded the company’s debt following the decision to halt production of the 737MAX as it awaits approval to return the aircraft to the skies following two deadly accidents.

Meanwhile, tech firm Cisco and drug maker Johnson & Johnson were higher following upgrades from Barclays. — AFP