U.S. equities advanced on Tuesday, pushing the S&P 500 to within 1% of its all-time peak of 6,144 reached on Feb. 19. The benchmark traded near 6,100, setting it on course for its highest close in five months. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also moved higher, edging toward the 20,000 level and keeping major indexes in sight of fresh records as investors assessed the durability of the rally.