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Strong, broad-based gains for US equity markets overnight following largely upbeat corporate earnings, including from some major banks and a couple of Dow components - Dow up +535-points or +1.56% to sit ~2.4% below its all-time high hit in early September.. The broader S&P500 gained +1.71%, climbing back above its 50-day moving average for the first time in 12 trading sessions. Materials (up +2.43%) and Information Technology (+2.28%) rose over >2% to lead all eleven primary sectors higher in what was the best single day breadth reading for the index since late June. The Nasdaq +1.73%, logging its best single session gain since 20 May as Microsoft Corp (up +2.17%), Apple Inc (+2.02%) and Google-parent Alphabet Inc (+2.55%) all rising over >2%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 gained +1.44%.

US equity markets mixed as investors digested September inflation data, the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes and the start of the third quarter earnings season - Dow flat, recovering from an earlier -260 point slide. The broader S&P500 edged +0.30% higher and snapped a three session losing streak, with Utilities (up +1.14%) leading nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Financials (down -0.64%) and Energy (-0.12%) were the only primary sectors to settle in the red. The Nasdaq rose +0.73%. Apple Inc slipped -0.42% following a Bloomberg News report filed a day earlier that the company will likely cut iPhone 13 production by up to 10M phones in 2021, following the company’s forecast of making 90M earlier in the year, because of the ongoing global chip shortage. Advanced Micro Devices Inc gained +3.92% and was among notable performers amid ongoing headlines about the global chip shortage. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.34%.

US equity markets closed in the red for a third straight session, with selling again picking up into the close and with investors eying some key economic and corporate earnings releases tonight AEST - Dow down -143-points or -0.42%. Boeing Co (down -1.27%) reported that airplane deliveries rose to 35 in September following an uptick in domestic travel, albeit its 787 programme remains hobbled by structural defects. The broader S&P500 lost -0.37%, with Communications Services (down -1.05%) and Information Technology (-0.51%) leading six of the eleven primary sectors lower. American Airlines Group Inc rose +0.79% after forecasting a smaller-than-expected adjusted net loss for the third quarter. Real Estate was the best performing primary sector overnight with a +1.34% rise. The Nasdaq dipped -0.05%. Apple Inc declined in extended trading following a Bloomberg News report that the company will likely cut iPhone 13 production by up to 10M phones in 2021, following the company’s forecast of making 90M earlier in the year, because of the ongoing global chip shortage. Broadcom Inc (down -1.43%) and Texas Instruments Inc (-2.53%) also fell in the extended session after an unidentified source told Bloomberg that both companies are having trouble delivering enough components to Apple. However, Qualcomm Inc rose over >1% in extended trading after the mobile chip maker announced plans for a US$10B stock buyback. The company noted the total is in addition to $900 million in repurchase authority from a July 2018 program. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.61%.

US equity markets retreated, with an earlier rally fizzling and selling picking up pace in the final hours of the session as investors continued to ponder inflation challenges amid a fresh rise in energy prices and as the US third quarter earnings season officially kicks off later this week - Dow down -250-points or -0.72%, unwinding an earlier rally of over >200-points. The broader S&P500 -0.69%, with Communication Services (down -1.45%), Utilities (-1.35%) and Financials (-1.01%) all down over >1% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors lower. Real Estate (up +0.17%) and Materials (+0.03%) were the only primary sectors to advance. Southwest Airlines Co fell -4.17% after cancelling nearly 2K flights over the weekend and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. The airline blamed the widespread cancelations on weather “challenges” in some of its Florida airports, compounded by “unexpected” air-traffic control issues in the same areas however others were sceptical about the reasons offered. The Nasdaq fell -0.64%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.56%.

US equity markets closed a volatile week little changed on Friday night AEST (8 October) after another underwhelming jobs report left many investors scratching their heads - Dow dipped -9-points . The broader S&P500 slipped -0.19% despite a +3.13% gain for the Energy sector that lifted Exxon Mobil +2.51%, Chevron Corp +2.24% and Conocophillips +4.77%. R eal Estate fell -1.12% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors lower. Goldman Sachs chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin said in a note to clients that his year-end S&P 500 price target for 2021 is still 4,700, which is nearly 7% above its current level. The Nasdaq eased -0.51%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -0.76%.

US equity markets advanced for a third day as lawmakers neared an agreement that would avert a debt-ceiling breach for at least two months - Dow up +338-points or +0.19%, with Visa Inc (up +1.78%), Nike Inc (+2.05%) and Home Depot Inc (+2.16%) The broader S&P500 gained +0.83%. Consumer Discretionary (up +1.50%), Materials (+1.35%) and Health Care (+1.23%) led ten of the eleven primary sectors higher, with Utilities (down -0.53%) the only sector to settle in the red. The Nasdaq +1.05%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +1.59%.

US equity markets climbed, buoyed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying the Republican party would support an extension of the federal debt ceiling into December - Dow rose +102-points or +0.30%, staging a 560-point U-turn to record its best intraday comeback since 21 December last year. The broader S&P500 gained +0.41%, recovering from an earlier session decline of -1.27%. Utilities (up +1.53%) and Consumer Staples (+1.00%) led nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. The Nasdaq settled +0.47% higher after falling as much as -1.20%, with Amazon.com Inc up +1.27%, Microsoft Corp +1.51% and chipmaker Nvidia Corp +1.22%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -0.60%.

US equity markets rallied despite surging energy prices intensifying inflationary pressures, sending Treasury yields higher - Dow up +312-points or +0.92%. Goldman Sachs Group Inc gained +3.12% as Treasury yields continued to climb. The broader S&P500 gained +1.05%, with Financials (up +1.77%), Communication Services (+1.59%), Information Technology (+1.46%) and Industrials (+1.10%) all climbing over >1% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Real Estate (down -0.86%) and Utilities (-0.19%) were the only primary sectors to close in the red. The Nasdaq +1.25%, with Netflix Inc rallying +5.21%, Amazon.com Inc +0.98%, Apple Inc +1.42% and Google parent Alphabet Inc +1.77%. Facebook Inc (up +2.06%) rebounded from a -4.89% slide in the previous session (the worst single-day percentage decline since a -5% fall on 9 November, 2020) following a national broadcast of a whistleblower’s allegations that the social media network placed profits before safety and after widespread outages of Facebook services. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.49%.

US equity markets retreated amid a fresh rotation out of technology stocks amid rising bond yields - Dow lost -324-points or -0.94%. Merck & Company Inc rose +2.09%, building on an +8.37% gain in last Friday’s (1 October) session after the pharmaceutical major and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said their oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases. Merck is now planning to submit an application for an emergency use authorization for the treatment from the Food and Drug Administration and will also seek it from other regulatory bodies around the world. The broader S&P500 shed -1.30%, taking the index more than halfway to an official correction (defined as drop 10% from their most recent high). Information Technology (down -2.36%) and Communication Services (-2.11%) leading eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. The Energy sector (up +1.63%) was the leading primary sector performer, tracking strong gains on crude markets. Exxon Mobil Corp rose +1.30% and Conocophillips +1.98%. The Nasdaq lost -2.14%. Facebook Inc shed -4.89%, logging the worst single-day percentage decline since a -5% fall on 9 November, 2020 following a national broadcast of a whistleblower’s allegations that the social media network placed profits before safety. The social media’s woes were further compounded by a widespread outage of Facebook services, including Instagram and WhatsApp. Separately, Facebook filed a motion to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s amended antitrust lawsuit against the company, saying the agency’s complaint still lacked evidence Facebook violated antitrust laws. Elsewhere among major technology names, Apple Inc fell -2.46%, Amazon.com Inc -2.85%, Microsoft Corp -2.07% and Nvidia Corp -4.87%. However, Tesla Inc rose +0.81% after the company announced over the weekend that it had delivered 241,300 electric vehicles during the third quarter of 2021, topping analysts forecasts for the delivery of around 221K. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.08%.

US equity markets kicked off October with solid gains as news of a new oral treatment for Covid-19 boosted shares of companies tied to the economic recovery - Dow gained +483-points or +1.43% . The broader S&P500 rose +1.15%, with Energy (up +3.30%) leading ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Communication Services (up +1.78%), Materials (+1.60%), Financials (+1.59%), Information Technology (1.44%), Industrials (+1.41%) and Real Estate (+1.04%) all climbed over >1%. Utilities (down -0.04%) was the only sector to close in the red as the more defensive sectors generally underperformed last Friday (1 October). The technology-centric Nasdaq rose +0.82%, snapping a five session losing streak. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +1.69%.