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US equity markets weaker, with the Nasdaq recording its biggest one-day drop in more than four months as investors reacted to second quarter results - Dow rose +164-points or +0.47%, recording its first 9-day rally since 2017.


The broader S&P500 fell -0.68%, with Consumer Discretionary (down -3.40%), Communication Services (-2.48%) and Information Technology (-2.04%) all falling over >2% to lead four of the eleven primary sectors lower. The more defensive Utilities (up +1.85%) and Health Care (+1.85%) sat atop the primary sector leaderboard after underperforming earlier in the week. Twenty stocks in the S&P 500 touched 52-week highs overnight (including three homebuilders and investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co up +1.23%), and 11 of them also reached all-time highs. Tesla Inc tumbled -9.74% after the electric vehicle manufacturer released its second quarter result after the close of the previous session and profit margins that lagged expectations. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk and other executives said on the company’s earnings call that vehicle production would slow during the third quarter due to shutdowns for factory improvements.

US equity markets settled modestly firmer as investors continued to digest second quarter results, including some heavyweight names after the closing bell - Dow up +109-points or +0.31% to 35,061.21, extending its rally into a eighth consecutive session (its longest winning streak in 4-years) and marking the first time that the 30-stock index has settled above 35,000 since 20 April, 2020. The broader S&P500 added +0.24%, with Real Estate (up +1.12%) and Utilities (+1.02%) rising over >1% and leading eight of the eleven primary sectors higher. Materials (down -0.52%) and Information Technology (-0.27%) sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard overnight. The Nasdaq inched +0.02% higher. Apple Inc closed 0.71% higher, rising as much as 2.3% earlier in the session after a media report said it was building generative artificial intelligence tools, which could challenge products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Microsoft Corp fell -1.23% to snap a six session winning streak. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.45%.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at 15-month highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a sixth straight session of gains as investors shrugged off the latest round of soft China economic data and braced for a wave of second quarter results later this week - Dow added +76-points or +0.22% to 34,585.35, marking the highest close since 30 November, 2022.

A mixed session on Friday (14 July) to close out a strong week for US equity markets as investors digested second quarter results from some of America’s largest financial institutions - Dow rose +114-points or +0.33%, The broader S&P500 slipped -0.10%, snapping a four session winning streak. The index settled above the >4,500 level for the first time since 5 April, 2022 last Thursday (13 July), and hit a record close of 4,796.56 in January last year. The Energy sector (down -2.45%) led eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. Health Care (up +1.50%) sat atop the primary sector leaderboard. The Nasdaq eased -0.18%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.49%.

US equity markets climbed for a fourth consecutive session as wholesale inflation cooled further, and ahead of the release of second quarter results from some of the US’ biggest banks tonight AEST - Dow added +47-points or +0.10%. Walt Disney Co added +0.35% after the company’s board extended Chief Executive Bob Iger’s contract for two more years, through December 2026. The broader S&P500 +0.85% to 4,510.04, settling above the >4,500 level for the first time since 5 April, 2022. Communication Services rallied +2.32% to lead nine of the elven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -0.45%) sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard. The Nasdaq +1.58%. Amazon.com Inc rallied +2.68% after the company said the first day of its Prime Day shopping event drove its best sales performance yet. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 gained +0.91%.

US equity markets extended their rebound into a third consecutive session as investors digested a cooler-than-expected inflation report - Dow added +86-points or +0.25%. The broader S&P500 climbed +0.74% to 4,472.16, recording its highest settlement since 8 April, 2022. Domino's Pizza Inc jumped +11.09% after the pizza chain said it entered into a new global agreement with Uber Technologies Inc (+0.36%) that allows U.S. customers to order Domino’s products through Uber Eats and Postmates apps. Domino’s will still be making the deliveries. The technology-centric Nasdaq outperformed, rallying +1.15% to 13,914.48 and logging its highest close since 5 April, 2022. Nvidia Corp (up +3.53%) and Intel Corp (+2.04%), with the Financial Times reporting that UK chip designer Arm is in talks to bring both US semiconductor companies onboard as anchor investors as the SoftBank-owned company presses ahead with plans for a New York listing as soon as September. Nvidia, the world’s most valuable semiconductor company, was forced last year to abandon its planned US$66B acquisition of Arm after the deal was challenged by regulators. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +1.05%.

US equity markets logged back-to-back session gains following a late rally ahead of key inflation figures tonight AEST - Dow rallied +317-points or +0.93%, marking its biggest daily percentage gain since 15 June. Salesforce.com Inc logged its biggest one day advance in four months (up +3.93%) after the client relationship software management group announced it was raising prices for some of its products, the first increase in seven years. The San Francisco-based company said that it would raise list prices in August by an average of 9% across its suite of products, which include Sales Cloud and Tableau. Boeing Co gained +2.55% after the commercial aerospace giant delivered more jets (136 commercial airliners, including 60 jets in June) than expected in the second quarter. The broader S&P500 gained +0.67%, with Energy (up +2.20%) leading all eleven primary sectors higher. The Nasdaq rose +0.55%.

US equity markets logged their first advance in four session overnight as investors eye key US inflation figures and the start of the US second quarter earnings season later this week - Dow rose +210-points or +0.62%, The broader S&P500 added +0.24%, with Industrials (up +1.39%) leading seven of the eleven primary sectors higher. Communication Services sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard with a -0.92% decline. The Nasdaq edged +0.18% higher. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 outperformed with a +1.64% rally.

Stocks fell on Friday, and finished lower for the week, as Wall Street struggled to shake off fears that the Federal Reserve may start hiking rates again later this month. The S&P 500 lost -0.29%, the Nasdaq dipped -0.13% while the Dow dropped 187 points, or -0.55%. Energy went from worst to best sector gaining +2.06%, while materials gained +0.88%. Consumer staples fell -1.34% and health care lost -1.16%.