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US equity markets retreated as concern about the impasse in the debt-ceiling talks continued to grow - Dow fell -256-points or -0.77%. The broader S&P500 lost -0.73%, with Real Estate (down -2.21%) leading ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Financials (down -1.31%), Financials (-1.31%) and Industrials (-1.27%) all fell over >1%. Energy (up +1.04%) was the sole primary sector to advance for a second straight session. The Nasdaq eased -0.61%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.16%.

US equity markets retreated after a volatile session as the drawn out debt ceiling negotiations continued to weigh on sentiment, with losses accelerating in afternoon trading - Dow fell -231-points or -0.69%, The broader S&P500 -1.12%, with Materials (down -1.54%) and Information Technology (-1.50%) falling ~1.5% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Energy (up +1.04%) was the sole primary sector to advance overnight. The Nasdaq -1.26%. Apple Inc lost -1.52% after announcing a multibillion-dollar chip production deal with Broadcom Inc (up +1.20%). Apple said the partnership, which centres on 5G radio frequency components and builds on its existing relationship with Broadcom, was part of its 2021 commitment to spend US$430B with US suppliers and manufacturers over five years. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.43%. The American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd fell -3.74% after a strong session a day earlier, with reports that the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) arm has begun cutting 7% of staff (source: Barron’s). The move is a bid to optimise business operations on strategic areas - like AI - in the midst of a historic restructuring, and not representative of a wider downsizing, a person familiar with the matter and cited in the report said. Alibaba announced earlier this year the biggest restructuring in its history, a bid to unlock value by splitting into six units and to foster market competitiveness, a nod to regulators who have hammered the Chinese tech sector since late 2020.

US equity markets mixed in what was a muted session as investors continued to eye developments around the debt ceiling negotiations, although the Nasdaq scaled a nine month high - Dow fell -140-points or -0.42%. JPMorgan Chase & Co (down -0.83%) hosted an investor day and said it is planning an “unmatched” spending spree on new initiatives this year of more than $15B, which would include hiring, marketing and investment in technology. JPMorgan also lifted its outlook for how much it expects to earn this year from its lending business following the recent purchase of First Republic. The investment bank raised its 2023 target for net interest income, excluding its trading division, to ~US$84B from $81B previously. The broader S&P500 eked out a +0.02% gain, recording its second highest settlement (4,192.63) this year. Communication Services rose +1.17% to lead seven of the eleven primary sectors higher. Consumer Staples sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard with a -1.47% decline. Chevron Corp fell -1.80% after announcing an agreement to buy Colorado-based oil and gas producer PDC Energy Inc (up +7.22%) in an all-stock deal valued at US$6.3B. Exxon Mobil Corp lost -1.21%, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the company spent ~US$100M buying land from an exploration company called Galvanic Energy, a firm created for development of lithium from the brine-rich Smackover Formation of Southern Arkansas. The technology-centric Nasdaq gained +0.50% to 12,720.78, logging its highest close since 18 August last year. Meta Platforms Inc settled+1.09% higher, shaking off pre-market weakness seen after the social-media giant was fined €1.2B by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission over allegations it violated European Commission rules on data protection. Micron Technology Inc fell -2.85% following a weekend report that China’s government told users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rallied +1.22%.

US equity markets retreated as policymakers paused negotiations over the debt ceiling deal and nerves over the health of the US regional banking sector resurfaced - Dow fell -109-points or -0.33%, The broader S&P500 slipped -0.14%, with Consumer Discretionary (down -0.84%) leading seven of the eleven primary sectors lower. Energy sat atop the primary sector leaderboard on Friday (19 May) with a +0.73% gain. The Nasdaq eased -0.24%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.62%.

US equity markets rallied, with the S&P500 and Nasdaq logging their highest closes since August last year amid reports of further progress in resolving the debt-ceiling debate in Congress - Dow rose +115-points or +0.34%, The broader S&P500 gained +0.94%, with Information Technology (up +2.06%) leading seven of the eleven primary sectors higher. The Nasdaq rallied +1.51%. Apple Inc (+1.37%) and Google-parent Alphabet Inc (+1.68%) advanced to log their highest settlements since April last year. Nvidia Corp gained +4.97% to US$316.78, marking the chipmaker’s highest close since 8 December, 2021 and ~5% below its all-time closing high of US$333.76 set on 29 November, 2021. The latest rally – which sees the stock up ~116.76% year-to-date - came after the company announced a slew of high-performance gaming cards aimed at budget shoppers. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.58%.

US equity markets rallied as optimism emerged from Republican congressional leadership over averting a default on the debt ceiling - Dow rebounded +409-points or +1.24%, The broader S&P500 rose +1.19%, with Energy (up +2.07%), Consumer Discretionary (+2.04%) and Financials (+2.0%) all gaining 2%+ to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Utilities (down -0.36%) and Consumer Staples (-0.10%) were the only primary sectors to settle in the red. The Nasdaq rallied +1.27%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 outperformed with a +2.21% gain after the lagging the other indices recently.

US equity markets retreated as investors focussed on debt ceiling talks between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which concluded shortly before market close - Dow fell -336-points or -1.01%, falling back into negative territory for the year-to-date for the first time since 4 May and closing below its 50-day average for the first time since 30 March. The broader S&P500 lost -0.64%, with Real Estate (down -2.61%), Energy (-2.54%) and Utilities (-2.30%) all dropping over >2% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors lower. Communication Services (up +0.59%) and Information Technology (+0.16%) were the only primary sectors to advance. The technology-centric Nasdaq slipped -0.18%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 shed -1.44%.

US equity markets edged higher in subdued trading as investors awaited news about debt ceiling negotiations and assessed fresh data pointing to a cooling economy - Dow added +48-points or +0.14%, snapping a five session losing streak. The broader S&P500 rose +0.30%, with Materials (up +0.85%) and Financials (+0.82%) both rose over >0.8% to lead six of the eleven primary sectors higher. Utilities sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard with a -1.24% decline. The Nasdaq advanced +0.66%, with chipmaker NVIDIA Corp rallying +2.16%. Apple Inc (down -0.29%) saw its market capitalisation (~US$2.7 trillion) surpass that of the entire small capitalisation Russell 2000 on 27 April and has retained this premium for two weeks. The Russell 2000 gained +1.19%.

US equity markets drifted lower on Friday (12 May), forfeiting earlier gains in late morning trade after consumer sentiment data from the University of Michigan recorded a notable increase in consumer inflation expectations - Dow dipped -9-points or -0.03%, The broader S&P500 reversed earlier gains to settle -0.16% lower, Consumer Discretionary (down -0.89%) leading four of the eleven primary sectors lower on Friday (12 May). The more defensive Utilities (up +0.44%) and Consumer Staples (+0.36%) sectors outperformed. The Nasdaq fell -0.35%, with Apple Inc down -0.54% and Meta Platforms Inc -0.84%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.22%. Small cap stocks have struggled since turmoil in U.S. regional banks erupted in early March, with the Russell 2000 down ~7% since 8 March.

US equity markets slipped amid fresh concerns around regional banks and weaker commodity prices - Dow fell -222-points or -0.66%, extending declines into a fourth straight session. The Walt Disney Company dropped -8.73% after the media giant released its fiscal second-quarter results after the close of the previous session and recorded a decline in subscribers to its streaming business, Disney+. The broader S&P500 slipped -0.17%, with Energy (down -1.24%), Utilities (-1.14%) and Real Estate (-1.02%) all falling over >1% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. Communication Services (up +1.65%) sat atop the primary sector leaderboard. The technology-centric Nasdaq edged +0.18% higher. Google-parent Alphabet Inc rallied +4.31% to its highest level since August on the heels of its I/O developer conference that saw the company unveil new gadgets and software, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.84%. Livent Corp.