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US equity markets settled with modest gains - Dow added +36-points or +0.12% . The broader S&P500 rose +0.10%, extending its gains into a third straight session and with the Energy sector (up +4.27%) the clear outperformer. The Nasdaq dipped -0.02%, relinquishing earlier gains in the final hour of trading despite Google parent Alphabet Inc rallying +7.3% and hitting a record high after posting record profits for a second straight quarter after the closing bell of the previous session. Amazon Inc fell -2% after releasing their fourth quarter result after the close of Tuesday’s (2 February) session and announcing that Amazon Web Services (AWS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andy Jassy will replace founder Jeff Bezos as CEO during the third quarter of this year as the company. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index added +0.38%.

US equity markets made a strong start to February, rebounding from sharp falls in the previous session - Dow gained +230-points or +0.76% . The broader S&P500 rose +1.61%, logging is best day since 24 November last year and with Consumer Discretionary (up +2.77%), Information Technology (+2.51%) and Real Estate (+2.27%) all gaining over >2% and leading all eleven primary sectors higher. The Nasdaq gained +2.55%. Apple Inc (up +1.65%) announced that it was selling US$14B of its corporate bonds, spread over six tranches. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index gained +2.53%.

US equity markets fell sharply on Friday night AEST (29 January), with the benchmark indices capping their worst weekly and monthly performance since October as investors eyed COVID-19 vaccine rollout delays and as surging prices on a small group of heavily shorted stocks continued to take oxygen out of the market as hedge funds covered short positions and reduced exposure to other stocks to reduce risk - Dow tumbled -621-points or -2.03% to 29,982.62, marking the indice’s lowest settlement – and first close below 2% and all eleven primary sectors closed in the red. American Airlines Group Inc (down -5.14%) authorised the sale of another US$1B in stock, the carrier said in a filing on Friday (29 January), in an effort to shore up cash as COVID-19 continues to depress travel demand. Both the Dow and S&P500 closed below their respective 50-day moving averages (3,716) for the first time since October last year. The Nasdaq slumped -2.00%, with Apple Inc down -3.74%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index fell -1.60%. For the week, the Dow dropped -3.27% S&P500 -3.31% and Nasdaq -3.49%. The Russell 2000 lost -1.6% last week. For the month, Dow lost -2.04% and S&P500 -1.11%, marking the worst monthly performance for both indices since last October. The Nasdaq gained +1.42%.

US equity markets rebounded a day after the benchmark indices logged their worst session in three months - Dow rallied +300-points or +0.99%, its largest one day point and percentage gain since 6 January a day after logging its worst single session decline (-634-points or -2.1%) since 28 October last year. The broader S&P500 rose +0.98%, with Financial, Materials and Industrials gaining over >1.5% leading all eleven primary sectors higher – the first time all key S&P500 sectors have advanced since 13 November last year. The Nasdaq gained +0.44%. Apple Inc (down -3.50%) and Facebook Inc (-2.62%) The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index slipped -0.10%. Overall trading Volumes surged, with more than >23B shares traded, the highest since May 2019, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

US equity markets slumped, logging their worst session in three months in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s latest sober monetary policy statement - Dow tumbled -634-points or -2.05%, logging its worst single session decline since 28 October last year. However, Walgreens Boots Alliance +4.01% after the pharmacy chain said it had tapped Starbucks Corp (down -6.51%) executive Roz Brewer to serve as its new chief executive. The broader S&P500 shed -2.57%, wiping out its gains for 2021. Communication Services (down -3.82%), Consumer Discretionary (-3.13%), Healthcare (-3.05%) and Materials (-3.00%) all fell 3%+ and led all eleven primary sectors lower. The Nasdaq lost -2.61%. Advanced Micro Devices Inc fell -6.% The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index fell -1.91%.

US equity markets settled modest losses, with the S&P500 and Nasdaq pulling back from the record closing highs set in Monday’s (25 January) session on what was a big day on the corporate earnings calendar - Dow eased -23-points or -0.07%, logging its fourth consecutive session decline after paring an earlier rally of over >150-points. The broader S&P500 slipped -0.15%, after hitting a fresh record intra-day high (3,870.90). The Nasdaq dipped -0.06%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index fell -0.%. The session was again marked by wild swings in some heavily shorted stocks, including omnichannel video game retailer GameStop Corp (up +92.71% in regular trading and climbing a further +43.80 in the extended session), Bed Bath and Beyond Inc (up +20.18% in regular trading and up over >15% in the extended session) and consumer robot company iRobot Corp (+9.14%). Both the S&P500 and Nasdaq settled at fresh record closing highs on Monday night AEST (25 January) after a choppy session ahead of the busiest week on US fourth quarter earnings calendar - Dow slipped -37-points or -0.12% . Caterpillar Inc and American Express Corp were the weakest performers on the Dow, falling -2.4% and -3.9% respectively. The broader S&P500 rose +0.36% to 3,855.36, recovering from an earlier decline of over >1%. Utilities (up +1.95%), Consumer Staples (+0.91%) and Information Technology (+0.88%) led eight on the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -1.06%) and Financials (-0.76%) were the laggard sectors. The Nasdaq gained +0.69% to 13,635.99 after also clinching an intraday record (13,728.98 near the open of Monday’s session). The Russell 2000 index eased -0.25%. Moderna Inc rose +12.2% after it announced that it was testing an experimental booster shot to increase the immune response against a coronavirus variant first found in South Africa. In broader stock moves, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc soared +25.93% after announcing that it had raised US$917M, meaning “any talk of an imminent bankruptcy for AMC is completely off the table” according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adam Aron.

Some soft corporate earnings and economic releases saw US equity markets settle lower on Friday (22 January). The Dow fell -179 points or -0.57% . International Business Machines (IBM) Corp dropped -9.91% after posting a disappointing fourth quarter result after the closing bell of Thursday’s (21 January) session, with revenue down for a fourth straight quarter (down -6% on an annualised basis). Intel Corp fell -9.29% a day after the chipmaker posted a better-than-expected fourth quarter result, with some investors concerned about the competitive challenges from the likes of Nvidia Corp (down -1.12%) and Advanced Micro Devices (up +1.38%) confronting incoming Chief Executive Office (CEO) Pat Gelsinger. The broader S&P500 lost -0.30%, pulling back from the record closing set in the previous session. Financials (down -0.72%), Energy (-0.50%) and Industrials (-0.49%) led eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. Real Estate (up +0.31%), Utilities (+0.17%) and Communication Services (+0.12%) were the only primary sectors to advance. The Nasdaq inched +0.09% higher to log a fresh record closing high (13,543.06). Apple Inc rose +%, extending its weekly rise to +9.4%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 also logged a fresh record closing high, rallying +1.3% to 2,168.76. For the holiday-shortened week, the Dow gained +0.59%, S&P500 +1.94% and the Nasdaq +4.19%. The Russell 2000 logged a +2.2% weekly gain.

US markets gave up afternoon gains Thursday as investors' optimism over stronger-than-expected earnings competed with signs that the labor market is still struggling to recover. The Nasdaq Composite rallied to a record close Thursday as investors showed renewed interest in megacap technology companies ahead of their earnings reports in the weeks ahead. The technology-heavy index climbed 73 points, or +0.5%, to 13,530, propelled higher by shares of Apple, Facebook and Amazon.com. The day marked the Nasdaq's third consecutive day of gains and its fourth record close of the year. Gains for the Nasdaq came amid an otherwise bumpy session for U.S. stocks, with both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average swinging between small gains and losses throughout the day. The S&P 500 ultimately eked out a gain to finish at a record high, rising +1.22 points, or less than +0.1%, to 3,853.07. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, fell -12 points, or less than +0.1%, to 31,176. Hopes for a robust earnings season from the country’s largest communications and tech stocks have kept the mega-cap stocks trending upward, and the major indexes near records, during the holiday-shortened week. Apple and Facebook have risen +7.7% and +8.6%, respectively, this week ahead of their quarterly results, while Microsoft has gained +5.8%.

Fresh record intra-day and closing highs for the benchmark US equity indices as investors eyed fresh fiscal stimulus measures as Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States - Dow rallied +258-points or +0.80% 31,188.38. The broader S&P500 rose +1.39% to 3,851.85, with Communication Services (up +3.61%), Consumer Discretionary (+2.26%) and Information Technology (+2.02%) all gaining over >2% and leading ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Financials (down -0.47%) was the only primary sector to close in the red. The Nasdaq gained +1.96% to 13,457.25 Netflix Inc soared +16.85% and logged its best single session advance in more than four years after. Big technology names also traded strongly, including Google-parent Alphabet Inc up +5.36%, Amazon.com Inc +4.57% and Microsoft Corp +3.65%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 index added +0.44%.