S&P 500, Nasdaq slip after hitting intraday records as momentum wavers

By Niket Nishant and Sukriti Gupta (Reuters) -The benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq indexes retreated after hitting intraday record highs earlier on Thursday, as investors locked in gains during a data-light stretch with the U.S. government shutdown entering a second day. The swift pullback underscores how fragile market momentum remains, with stretched valuations and uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's lack of visibility into economic data keeping traders on edge. "If the shutdown is going to last longer than a few days, then you could see a little bit more volatility around equities," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. Tesla slipped nearly 2% after initial gains on a strong quarterly deliveries report, as some analysts flagged risks to