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US equity markets mixed after another choppy session, with concerns about the impact of the Delta variant of the coronavirus and the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy meeting minutes continuing to reverberate - Dow lost -67-points or -0.19%, paring an earlier decline of as much as -270 points. The Dow booked its third straight drop, representing its longest bout of losses since the five-session period ended 18 June. The broader S&P500 edged +0.13% higher, with Information Technology (up +0.99%) leading six of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -2.65%) sat at the bottom of the primary sector leaderboard for a second consecutive session. Tesla Inc fell -2.25% ahead of the company showcasing its autonomous driving and artificial intelligence efforts at its Artificial Intelligence Day. The Nasdaq +0.11%. NVIDIA Corp gained +3.98% after the chip maker’s earnings, revenue and outlook released after the close of Wednesday’s (18 August) session topped Wall Street estimates. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.22% and is nearing official correction territory, down almost 10% from its March high.

Benchmark US equity markets booked their worst declines in a month, with losses accelerating after the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s late July monetary policy meeting did little to dispel expectations that the central bank could begin tapering their US$120B per month bond buying programme soon - Dow fell -383-points or -1.08% . The broader S&P500 shed -1.07%. Energy (down -2.40%) led all but one of the eleven primary sectors lower (with eight sectors logging decline of over >1%). Consumer Discretionary added +0.15%. The technology-centric Nasdaq lost -0.89%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell 0.84%.

US equity markets retreated, with the Dow and S&P500 ending a five session run of record closing highs amid concerns the spread of the delta variant of COVID may slow economic growth and following a softer-than-expected July retail sales report - Dow dropped -282-points or -0.79% . The broader S&P500 fell -0.71% a day after logging its 49th record closing high of 2021. Consumer Discretionary (down -2.31%) led seven of the eleven primary sectors lower, with Materials (down -1.21%) and Industrials (-1.06%) down over >1%. More defensive sectors outperformed once again, with Health Care up +1.12%. The Nasdaq shed -0.93% as Facebook Inc (down -2.21%), Amazon.com Inc (-1.73%), Apple Inc (-0.62%) and Google-parent Alphabet Inc (-1.16%) all closed lower. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.19%.

Both the Dow and S&P500 eked out fresh record highs for a fourth consecutive session - longest stretch of closing records since 15 March – despite a weak consumer sentiment report - Dow edged +15-points or +0.04% higher to 35,515.38, hitting another intraday record high (35,610.57) earlier in last Friday’s (13 August). Walt Disney Co rose +1.00% after posting its strongest quarterly sales and profit figures since before the COIVD-19 pandemic after the close of the previous session. The broader S&P500 added +0.16% to 4,468.00, touching an intraday record high of 4,468.37. The defensive Consumer Staples (up +0.81%), Real Estate (+0.68%), Health Care (+0.60%) and Utilities (+0.56%) led seven of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -1.28%) and Financials (-0.73%) were the worst performing primary sectors on Friday night AEST (13 August). The Nasdaq inched +0.04% higher. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.93%.

Both the Dow and S&P500 edged to fresh record highs for a third consecutive session despite wholesale inflation accelerating more-than-expected in July - Dow inched +15-points or +0.04% higher to 35,499.85 . Salesforce.Com Inc (up +2.52%) and Apple Inc (+2.08%) were among the leading index performers, while Home Depot Inc (down -0.88%) and Visa Inc (-1.26%) underperformed. The broader S&P500 added +0.30% to 4,460.83, with Health Care (up +0.77%) and Information Technology (+0.59%) leading six of the eleven primary sectors higher. The Nasdaq rose +0.35%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 slipped -0.28%.

Fresh record highs for both the Dow and S&P500 for a second consecutive session as inflation fears moderated following the latest data for July - Dow gained +220-points or +0.62% to 35,484.97 after also touching a record intra-day high of 35,501.16. Caterpillar Inc (up +3.55%) and Home Depot Inc (+1.67%) The broader S&P500 added +0.25% to 4.447.70, touching a record intra-day high of 4,449.44. Materials (up +1.42%), Industrials (+1.30%) and Financials (+1.17%) all rose over >1% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Health Care (down -0.97%) was the only primary sector to close in the red. Southwest Airlines Co rose +1.43% despite the carrier saying slowing bookings and an increase in cancellations in August driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus means it is unlikely to be profitable in the third quarter. The Nasdaq slipped -0.16%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.49%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, Chesapeake Energy Corp (up +2.6%) announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Vine Energy Inc (+1.95%) in a zero-premium cash-and-stock deal valued at ~US$2.2B. Shares of Chesapeake rose 2.6%, while Vine added 2%.

Fresh record highs for both the Dow and S&P500 after the Senate passed a much-anticipated bipartisan US$1 trillion infrastructure package - Dow up +163-points or +0.46% to 35,264.67. Caterpillar Inc (up +2.48%) was among the leading index performers. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (up +2.02%) and JP Morgan Chase & Co (+1.23%) also traded strongly as bond yields climbed. The broader S&P500 edged +0.10% higher to 4,436.74, with weakness in the Information Technology sector (down -0.73%) capping gains. Energy (up +1.72%), Materials (+1.48%), Industrials (+1.01%) and Financials (+1.01%) all rose over >1% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy heavyweights Exxon Mobil Corp (up +1.71%) and Chevron Corp (+1.83%) both rebounded solidly. The technology-centric Nasdaq lost -0.49%. Research from Susquehanna Financial Group said that the amount of time companies are waiting to get chip orders filled has stretched to more than 20-weeks. Chip order lead times have increased by more than 8-days to 20.2 weeks in July from June. He gap was already the longest wait time since the firm began tracking the data in 2017. Advanced Micro Devices Inc fell -2.99% overnight and NVIDIA Corp -1.77%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +0.20%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, Kansas City Southern jumped +7.47% after Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (down -1.19%) raised its offer for the U.S. railroad operator by ~US$2B to US$27.29B.

US equity markets retreated, with both the Dow and S&500 pulling back from last Friday’s (6 August) record closing highs and with traders eyeing downgrades to China economic growth forecasts from a number of major investment banks - Dow fell -107-points or -0.30% . The broader S&P500 dipped -0.09%, with Energy (down -1.48%) leading seven of the eleven primary sectors lower. Exxon Mobil Corp fell -1.14% and Chevron Corp -1.67%. The Nasdaq added +0.16%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.58%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, Draftkings Inc (up +1.49%) agreed to acquire Golden Nugget Online Gaming Inc (+50.77%) in a US$1.56B all scrip deal.

Both the Dow and S&P500 logged fresh record highs to close out another strong week for US equity markets as investors digested the latest July employment figures - Dow up +144-points or +0.41% to 35,208.51. Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose +% to a record high, while JP Morgan Chase & Co gained +%. The broader S&P500 edged +0.17% higher to 4,436.52. Financials (up +2.01%) and Materials (+1.47%) were the best performing primary sectors on Friday night AEST (6 August). Consumer Discretionary (down-0.73%) and Information Technology (--0.12%) underperformed, dented by a fresh rise in longer date Treasury yields. The Nasdaq eased -0.40%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 %. For the week, Dow gained +0.78%. The S&P500 rose +0.94%, extending its year-to-date gain to +18.12%. Nasdaq +1.11%