U.S. equities bounced back on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with all major benchmarks finishing higher and the small-cap Russell 2000 outperforming. The Russell rose 0.83%, nearly double the advance in large-cap indexes. The S&P 500 added about 0.41%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.42% to 21,539.30 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average improved 0.30%. The advance followed a modest pullback the previous session, when the S&P 500 slipped 0.39% and the Nasdaq and Dow each fell roughly 0.2%. Even after Monday’s setback, the indexes remain just below their recent record highs, helped by strength in industrial and financial shares. Trading volume was muted as investors weighed fresh political pressure on the Federal Reserve. President Donald Trump escalated his feud with the central bank by dismissing Governor Lisa Cook, days after criticizing the Fed’s cautious stance on interest rates. Despite the turmoil, futures markets tracked by CME Group still price an 87% probability that policymakers will deliver a quarter-point rate cut at their September meeting.