Nasdaq 100 Archives - Taking Stock

August 13, 2025September 12, 2025

Global stocks indices flying high as new records broken – 12th August 2025

New records for global indices led by U.S. tech

In a sweeping rally that spanned continents and sectors, major global indices surged to fresh record highs yesterday, buoyed by cooling inflation data, renewed hopes of U.S. central bank rate cuts, and easing trade tensions.

U.S. inflation figures released 12th August 2025 for July came in at: 2.7% – helping to lift markets to new record highs!

U.S. Consumer Price Index — July 2025

Metric	Value
Monthly CPI (seasonally adjusted)	+0.2%
Annual CPI (headline)	+2.7%
Core CPI (excl. food & energy)	+0.3% monthly, +3.1% annual

Despite concerns over Trump’s sweeping tariffs, the U.S. July 2025 CPI came in slightly below expectations (forecast was 2.8% annual).

Economists noted that while tariffs are beginning to show up in certain categories, their broader inflationary impact remains modest — for now.

Global Indices Surged to Record Highs Amid Rate Cut Optimism and Tariff Relief

Tuesday, 12 August 2025 — Taking Stock

📈 S&P 500: Breaks Above 6,400 for First Time

Closing Level: 6,427.02
Gain: +1.1%
Catalyst: Softer-than-expected U.S. CPI data (+2.7% YoY) boosted bets on a September rate cut, with 94% of traders now expecting easing.
Sector Drivers: Large-cap tech stocks led the charge, with Microsoft, Meta, and Nvidia all contributing to the rally.

💻 Nasdaq Composite & Nasdaq 100: Tech Titans Lead the Way

Nasdaq Composite: Closed at a record 21,457.48 (+1.55%)
Nasdaq 100: Hit a new intraday high of 23,849.50, closing at 23,839.20 (+1.33%)
Highlights:
- Apple surged 4.2% after announcing a $600 billion U.S. investment plan.
- AI optimism continues to fuel gains across the Magnificent Seven stocks.

Nasdaq 100 chart 12th August 2025

🧠 Tech 100 (US Tech Index): Momentum Builds

Latest High: 23,849.50
Weekly Gain: Nearly +3.7%
Outlook: Traders eye a breakout above 24,000, with institutional buying accelerating. Analysts note a 112% surge in net long positions since late June.

🇯🇵 Nikkei 225: Japan Joins the Record Club

Closing Level: 42,718.17 (+2.2%)
Intraday High: 43,309.62
Drivers:
- Relief over U.S. tariff revisions and a 90-day pause on Chinese levies.
- Strong earnings from chipmakers like Kioxia and Micron.
- Speculation of expanded fiscal stimulus following Japan’s recent election results.

🧮 Market Sentiment Snapshot

Index	Record Level Reached	% Gain Yesterday	Key Driver
S&P 500	6,427.02	+1.1%	CPI data, rate cut bets
Nasdaq Comp.	21,457.48	+1.55%	AI optimism, Apple surge
Nasdaq 100	23,849.50	+1.33%	Tech earnings, institutional buying
Tech 100	23,849.50	+1.06%	Momentum, bullish sentiment
Nikkei 225	43,309.62	+2.2%	Tariff relief, chip rally

📊 Editorial Note: While the rally reflects strong investor confidence, analysts caution that several indices are approaching technical overbought levels.

The Nikkei’s RSI, for instance, has breached 75, often a precursor to short-term pullbacks.

July 4, 2025September 12, 2025

S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 hit new all-time high!

The U.S. stock market surged into July 2025 with a wave of optimism, as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both hit fresh all-time highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its upward climb.

The S&P 500 closed at 6279, marking its fourth record close in five sessions, and the Nasdaq 100 soared to 22867, fueled by strength in AI and semiconductor stocks.

S&P 500 YTD chart

Nasdaq 100 YTD chart

Driving the rally was a stronger-than-expected June 2025 jobs report, which revealed 147,000 new positions added and an unemployment rate dipping to 4.1%.

This labour market resilience tempered expectations for a near-term Federal Reserve rate cut, but bolstered investor confidence in the economy’s momentum.

Tech giants like Nvidia and Microsoft led the charge, with Nvidia nearing a $4 trillion market cap amid surging demand for AI infrastructure.

Datadog spiked after being added to the S&P 500, and financials like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs hit lifetime highs.

The Dow, while slightly trailing its tech-heavy peers, posted steady gains and now hovers near its own record territory.

With trade optimism rising and President Trump’s tax-and-spending bill passed, Wall Street enters the holiday weekend riding a wave of bullish sentiment.

June 30, 2025September 12, 2025

U.S. markets surge as S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit new highs

In a remarkable show of investor confidence, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both reached new all-time highs on 30th June 2025.

The markets were buoyed by optimism around easing inflation, resilient corporate earnings, and renewed enthusiasm for the tech sector, especially AI.

The S&P 500 climbed to a record close of 6205, while the Nasdaq soared 1.2% to finish at 22679 marking its fourth consecutive record-breaking session.

S&P 3-month chart

Traders pointed to stronger-than-expected economic data and dovish commentary from the Federal Reserve as catalysts that reignited appetite for risk.

Tech giants led the charge, with chipmakers and AI-related firms once again at the forefront.

Nvidia, now the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, gained over 2%, while Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet also notched solid gains.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq has been particularly responsive to momentum in artificial intelligence and next-generation computing, driving its meteoric rise in recent months.

Nasdaq 100 3-month chart

From April 2025 Trump tariff melt-down to new highs in June 2025

Beyond tech, sectors such as consumer discretionary and industrials also saw modest gains, suggesting a broadening of the rally.

Analysts now debate whether this marks the beginning of a sustainable expansion or a potential overheating of equities.

Meanwhile, Treasury yields held steady, and oil prices ticked higher, signalling confidence in continued global demand.

With earnings season on the horizon, market watchers are closely monitoring corporate guidance to gauge whether valuations can justify further upside.

For now, though, the bulls are clearly in control – and Wall Street is basking in green.

July 6, 2024September 12, 2025

S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs again as job data raises chance of a Fed interest rate cut

Markets respond positively to job data as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq break record highs, again!

S&P 500 record high

Nasdaq Composite record high

Nasdaq 100 record high

U.S. non-farm payrolls increase

The U.S. economy added slightly more jobs than expected in June 2024 though the unemployment rate increased, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.

Non-farm payrolls increased by 206,000 for the month, better than the 200,000 Dow Jones forecast though less than the downwardly revised gain of 218,000 in May, which was cut sharply from the initial estimate of 272,000.

The unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.1%, matching the peak since October 2021, presenting a conundrum for Federal Reserve officials as they consider their next steps in monetary policy. Projections had indicated that the unemployment rate would remain stable at 4%.

June 15, 2024September 12, 2025

Nasdaq Composite narrowly secured its fifth consecutive record close

On Friday 14th June 2024, the Nasdaq Composite edged up to close at a record high for the fifth consecutive session.

Nasdaq Comp hits fresh record high for the fifth consecutive session

The tech-centric index rose slightly by 0.12%, finishing at 17688. The S&P 500 dipped slightly to close at 5431 and ending its four-day streak of gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 57.94 points, closing at 38589.

June 6, 2024September 12, 2025

Nvidia $3 trillion market cap propels S&P 500 and Nasdaq to new all-time highs

The S&P 500 reached a new high as Nvidia surpassed the $3 trillion mark for the first time, and the anticipation of an interest rate cut grew due to softer-than-expected job data.

S&P 500 all-time high as of 5th June 2024

Similarly, the Nasdaq 100 and Nasdaq Composite achieved new record highs

AI boom catapults Nvidia passed Apple’s market cap’ valuation

Artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaker Nvidia passed Apple’s market cap’ to become the world’s second most valuable company after Microsoft.

Nvidia’s shares have surged 24% following its impressive earnings report in May, in contrast to Apple’s shares, which have increased by only 5% this year amid a slowdown in sales growth in recent months.

Nvidia one year share price as of 5th June 2024

Nvidia Market Cap at $3.01 trillion as of 5th June 2024

February 12, 2024September 12, 2025

Nasdaq 100 hits new all-time high of 17962

The index continues its march breaking all-time records on its way

**The index continues on its march breaking all-time records on its journey**

Nasdaq 100 climbs to new record 9th February 2024

A solid earnings season, easing inflation data and a resilient economy have charged 2024′s market rally. It has helped propel the Nasdaq 100 to close at these new highs!

We are enjoying good news at an economic and earnings level, and the market is reacting positively. The longer the good news story plays out, the more likely it will be that the market will hold from here.

FOMO or the fear of missing out is likely playing its part here too.