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Fresh record closing highs for both the S&P500 and Nasdaq ahead of tonight’s key non-farm payrolls report - Dow gained +272-points or +0.78% at 35,064.25. The broader S&P500 rose +0.60% to 4,429.10, logging its 43rd record closing high of 2021. Goldman Sachs raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 4,700, representing ~6.1% upside, in part due to an improving earnings outlook. The Nasdaq advanced +0.78% to 14,895.12, with the technology-centric index recording its 27th record closing high of 2021 and first since 26 July. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 %.

US equity markets retreated and settled near their session lows after Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida made a case for a potential slowing of the central bank’s large-scale asset bond purchases later this year and for higher interest rates in 2023 - Dow dropped -324-points or -0.92% . The broader S&P500 fell -0.46% a day after notching its 42nd record closing high of 2021. Energy (down -2.93%) led nine of the eleven primary sectors lower following a third straight session of declines on crude markets. Communication Services (up +0.24%) and Information Technology (+0.19%) were the only primary sectors to advance. The technology-centric Nasdaq added +0.13%. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc rallied +5.52% (to US$118.77) and logged its sixth consecutive record closing high (and carved out a record intra-day high of US$122.49) following continued indications that the chip maker is taking market share away from larger rival Intel Corp (down -0.30%). Data from Mercury Research showed that while total microprocessor shipments had declined 3.1% quarter-over-quarter, AMD’s total share of the market increased to 16.9% in the second quarter from 16.1% in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Intel’s share fell to 83.1% in the second quarter from 83.9% in the first quarter. The Mercury Research data also showed gains for AMD in the important data-centre category. AMD has 8.9% share in servers, up from 5.5% in the year-ago second quarter and 8.2% in this year’s first quarter. That’s compared with Intel’s 91.1% share, down from 94.5% in the year-ago second quarter and 91.8% in the first quarter. A separate report from tech news site wccftech.com noted that AMD CPUs are still outselling Intel, according to data compiled from MindFactory, Germany’s largest tech retailer. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -1.23%.

US equity markets rallied, lifting the S&P500 to a yet another record closing high - Dow rose +278-points or +0.80% to 35,116.40 (and within 0.5% of a fresh record closing high), recovering from an earlier, brief decline of over >100-points The broader S&P500 gained +0.82% to 4,423.15, notching its 42nd record closing high of 2021. Energy (up +1.83%), Health Care (+1.41%), Industrials (+1.38%), Financials (+1.13%) and Materials (+1.01%) al gained over >1% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Communication Services (down -0.19%) was the only primary sector to close in the red. The Nasdaq +0.55%. Advanced Micro Devices Inc rose +3.62% (to US$112.56) and logged its fifth consecutive record closing high following a Bloomberg report that Nvidia Corp.’s (+0.33%) US$40B acquisition of Arm Ltd may get blocked by U.K. regulators. Bloomberg also reported that Apple Inc (up +1.26%) and Affirm Holding’s (+3.03%) PayBright are planning to launch a "buy now, pay later" program for Apple device purchases in Canada, allowing people to pay for iPhone, Mac, and iPad over 12 to 24 months. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +0.37%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, PepsiCo Inc added +0.2% after the beverage and snacks company announced an agreement to sell Tropicana, Naked and other juice brands across North America for US$3.3B in cash to PAI Partners. The deal includes options to sell certain juice businesses in Europe. PepsiCo said it will retain a 39% interest in a newly formed joint venture, and will retain exclusive U.S. distribution rights of the brands.

US equity markets relinquished earlier gains to settle with modest losses, with most of the fall coming in the final hour of the session - Dow eased -97-points or -0.28% to 34,838.16 after touching a fresh record intraday high at 35,192.11. The broader S&P500 slipped -0.18%, with Materials (down -1.17%) leading seven of the eleven primary sectors lower. More defensive sectors outperformed overnight, with Utilities (up +0.75%) the leading primary sector performer. Tesla Inc rose +3.27%. The Nasdaq inched +0.06% higher. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -0.48%. Persistent concerns about the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus weighed on investor sentiment on the first trading day for equity markets in August, while investors also eyed progress on an infrastructure bill, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and concerns about the pace and timing of the Federal Reserve’s plans to roll back easy-monetary policies.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (30 July), closing out the week and month on a weaker footing - Dow down -149-points or -0.42% . The broader S&P500 lost -0.54%, with Consumer Discretionary (down -2.78%) and Energy (-1.76%) the worst performing primary sectors on Friday night AEST (30 July). The Nasdaq fell -0.71%. Amazon.com Inc fell -7.56% - its biggest one-day drop since May 2020 – after reporting slowing sales growth in the second quarter after the closing bell of last Thursday’s (29 July) session. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.62%.

US equity markets advanced, shrugging off a weaker-than-expected rise in second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) as investors instead focussed on largely upbeat corporate earnings releases - Dow up +154-points or +0.44% at 35,084.53, hitting a fresh record intraday high of 35,171.52. The broader S&P500 rose +0.42% to 4,419.15, also touching a record intra-day high (4,429.97). Materials (up +1.08%) and Energy (+1.07%) both gained over >1% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Tesla Inc rallied +4.69%, with a number of reasons cited the latest gains. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk tweeted that the electric vehicle maker is hosting an artificial intelligence day on 19 August. The Nasdaq edged +0.11% higher, with Facebook Inc (down -4.01%) and PayPal Inc (-6.23%) following their results after the closing of the previous session that were accompanied underwhelming guidance. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.68%.

US equity markets weaker after a listless session, with the Federal Reserve providing no firm clues about when it might start reducing its purchases of government bonds despite saying that the economic recovery is on track - Dow fell -128-points or -0.36% . The broader S&P500 dipped -0.02%. The Nasdaq rose +0.70%. Apple Inc fell -1.22% a day after recording its strongest June quarter result ever, with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook warning that silicon “supply constraints” will affect sales the iPhone as well as the iPad. Advanced Micro Devices Inc rallied +7.6% to close at record high of US$97.93, soaring late in the session after an initially muted reaction to the chipmaker’s better-than-expected second quarter result after the close of the previous session. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rallied +1.51%. Uber Technologies Inc fell over >4% in extended trading after CNBC reported that SoftBank Group Corp is selling about one-third of its stake in ride-hailing company, in part to cover losses on its investment in Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Global Inc (up +10.32% in regular trading).

US equity markets logged their first declines in six sessions, pulling back from record highs as investors awaited quarterly earnings releases from several megacap technology stocks after the closing bell - Dow lost -86-points or -0.24%, paring an earlier decline of as much as -266-points. The broader S&P500 fell -0.47%, with Consumer Discretionary (down -1.16%), Communication Services (-1.06%), Energy (-1.01%) and Information Technology (-1.01%) all falling over >1%. The S&P500 recovered from an earlier decline of as much as -1.1%. The technology-centric Nasdaq lost -1.20%, its worst single session fall in two-and-a-half months as worries about a regulatory clampdown by Beijing weighed on sentiment. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 shed -1.13%.

US equity markets logged another round of record closing highs, settling near their best levels of the session after swinging between modest gains and losses during Monday’s session - Dow up +83-points or +0.24% at 35,144.31. Intel Corp fell over >3% in the extended session after the chip maker revealed its “road map” and repackaging plans for its future products. The broader S&P500 added +0.24% to 4,422.30, with Energy (up +2.50%) returning to the top of the primary sector leaderboard. The Nasdaq inched +0.03% higher to 14,840.71 ahead of a host of earnings releases from technology heavyweights tonight AEST. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.33%.

Fresh record highs for all three benchmark US equity indices on Friday night AEST (23 July) after a rocky start to the trading week, with another round of strong corporate earnings booting investor sentiment - Dow up +238-points or +0.68% to 35,061.50, settling above 35,000 at its 6th attempt (having previously traded above threshold on five occasions but unable to close above it). A late session push also saw the Dow hit a fresh record intra-day high (35,095.33). Last Friday’s (23 July) comes 69 trading days after the Dow’s first close above 34,000, making it the slowest such rise since the 218-day gap between the run from a close above 29,000 to a finish above 30,000 that ended on 24 November, 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data. It took the Dow 165 trading days to run from a close above 30,000 to a close above 35,000, its fastest 5,000 point milestone. Intel Corp fell 5.29% after the chipmaker posted better-than-expected second quarter numbers but an underwhelming third quarter earnings per share (EPS) and revenue outlook after the closing bell of last Thursday’s (22 July) session. The broader S&P500 gained +1.01% to 4,411.79. Communication Services (up +2.65%) led ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -0.43%) was the only primary sector to settle in the red. The Nasdaq gained +1.04% to 14,836.99. Social media firms Twitter Inc (up +3.05%) and Snap Inc (+23.82%) posted solid gains after releasing strong second quarter results after the closing bell last Thursday’s (22 July) session. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.46%.