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The S&P 500 climbed to 5,859.85, and the Dow Jones, composed of 30 stocks, increased by 201.36 points to 43,065.22.
Both indices achieved all-time highs and closed at record levels, with the Dow Jones surpassing 43,000 for the first time at the close of the session.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both closing at record highs, buoyed by a surge in technology stocks and a dismissal of geopolitical worries.
The S&P 500 increased to 5792, marking a new all-time high, while the Nasdaq Composite rose to end at 18291. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 431 points to close at a record 42512.
Leading the rally were technology stocks, with Amazon and Apple each gaining over 1%. Super Micro Computer saw a significant 4% increase. The gains helped offset a rocky start to October, propelling the major indices into positive territory for the month.
Following the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s September meeting, which showed a 0.50% interest rate cut, stocks held onto their gains. The minutes indicated that a ‘substantial majority of participants‘ were in favour of the more significant rate reduction.
The Dow Jones climbed 522.09 points to close at 42025, surpassing 42000 for the first time. The S&P 500 ascended to a close of 5713, breaking the 5700 threshold. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.51% to finish at 18013.
Investors have responded positively to the Federal Reserve’s recent indications that interest rate cuts are highly probable to commence in September 2024.
Market dynamics and sentiment
The rise of the DJIA was propelled by advances in sectors like materials, utilities, and energy. Conversely, the broader market exhibited mixed outcomes. The S&P 500 declined by 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped by 0.8%, contrasting with the Dow’s notable performance. This disparity is largely due to the lagging of technology stocks, especially with significant drops in firms such as Nvidia and Tesla.
Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s recent address at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium was pivotal in bolstering investor confidence. Powell’s remarks indicated that the Fed is ready to cut interest rates, which many investors believe will foster economic growth and stabilise the markets. The expectation of rate cuts has played a significant role in the recent market rally, with predictions of potential reductions up to 1% by the end of 2024.
Despite varied performances across sectors, the Dow reaching a new high signals a wider optimism in the market. As the year unfolds, the dynamics among Federal Reserve policies, corporate earnings, and economic indicators will continue to influence market directions.
U.S. stocks climbed on Monday 19th August 2024, continuing the market’s rebound as investors prepared for the highly anticipated Federal Reserve symposium at Jackson Hole later in the week.
Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq achieved their eighth consecutive day of gains, a record for 2024
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 236 points closing at 40896.
The day’s activity extended the recent rally, signalling another twist in what has been a volatile period for stocks. Last week saw the largest gains of the year for the three major indexes.
August began shakily with disappointing data igniting recession fears and intensifying concerns that the Federal Reserve was lagging in interest rate reductions. This led to a worldwide sell-off, culminating in the S&P 500’s worst day since 2022 on 5th August.
However, encouraging data last week appeared to calm the markets and raised hopes for a ‘soft landing’ of the economy. Positive figures in retail sales and initial jobless claims, along with robust earnings from Walmart, contributed to this optimism. Additionally, the annual inflation rate for July’s consumer price index reached its lowest point in over three years.
Retail sales saw a 1% increase in July 2024, significantly exceeding the prediction of a 0.3% rise. Additionally, the number of weekly jobless claims dropped. This data provided a boost to investors and the broader market, which is recovering from an August downturn linked to worries over a slowing economy, sparked by a disappointing U.S. jobs report on 2nd August 2024.
With over a 3% increase this week, the S&P 500 is now just about 2% shy of its record high. All three major U.S. indexes are trading above their 2nd August closing levels, which preceded the global stock market plunge on 5th August.
The S&P 500 increased by 2.3%, closing at 5319.31, marking its best day since November 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped by 683.04 points to 39446.49.
The Nasdaq Composite climbed to 16660.02. And all these gains just 4 days after the market rout on Monday 5th August 2024.
The most recent weekly unemployment claims were lower than expected, easing some of the recent worries about the U.S. labour market.
The initial claims for unemployment benefits last week were 233,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234 points to 38763.45. The S&P 500 fell to 5199.50, while the Nasdaq Composite closed at 16195.81.
During the day, the Dow had surged around 480 points, the S&P 500 had climbed 1.73%, and the Nasdaq had risen over 2%.
However, a downturn in Nvidia and other major tech stocks, after an initial rise, led to a significant drop in the afternoon. Nvidia retracted by 5.1%, Super Micro Computer plummeted 20.1% following its fiscal Q4 earnings missing analyst predictions, Tesla fell 4.4%, and Meta Platforms decreased by 1%.
The U.S.10-year Treasury yield continued to rise, increasing by about six basis points to 3.95%, returning to its level before the disappointing job figures last Friday, which had sparked concerns of an economic slowdown.
The Volatility Index (CBOE), the so called ‘fear gauge‘ was trading at around 29, having dropped to as low as 22 earlier in the day. This sharp decrease from Monday 5th August 2024 suggests that investor fears are subsiding, however, they remain higher than at the beginning of the month.
The Nasdaq, known for its tech-centric portfolio, along with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, all ended the day in more positive territory.
This ‘lift’ came after a period of muted activity in UK and European markets, with London’s FTSE 100 experiencing an initial surge before retreating.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 stock index recorded a substantial rise of 10.2%, or 3217 points, marking its largest single-day point increase following a steep drop the day before.
The recent turmoil in the stock market was triggered on Friday 2nd August 2024 by unsatisfactory U.S. job data for July 2024, which indicated an increase in unemployment, raising alarms over a potential recession.
Additionally, there has been growing apprehension that stocks of major technology firms, especially those with significant investments in artificial intelligence (AI), may have been excessively valued, leading to challenges for some of these companies.
The Dow fell 1033.99 points closing at 38703. The Nasdaq Composite dropped to close at 16200, while the S&P 500 declined 3%, ending the day at 5186. Both the Dow and S&P 500 experienced their most significant daily losses since September 2022.
The Japanese stock market suffered its steepest fall since Black Monday of 1987, adding to the global market anxiety.
The primary driver of the worldwide market collapse was the fear of a U.S. recession, triggered by the disappointing July jobs report released on Friday.
Additionally, there is growing concern among investors that the Federal Reserve has delayed reducing interest rates to support the slowing economy.
The Nasdaq declined over 3% following its sharpest three-week drop in two years.
Nvidia’s shares fell approximately 6%, while Apple’s dropped more than 4%.
On Monday, as the U.S. markets commenced trading, the market capitalization of the largest tech companies plummeted by about $1 trillion, exacerbating a decline that pushed the Nasdaq into correction territory the previous week.
In early trade Nvidia’s market cap decreased by over $300 billion, but it swiftly regained about half of that loss. The chipmaker’s shares ultimately closed down 6.4%, equating to a $168 billion loss. Apple and Amazon saw their valuations fall by $224 billion and $109 billion at market open. Apple’s market cap finished 4.8% lower, a $162 billion decrease. Amazon’s valuation fell by 4.1% at closing, a $72 billion reduction.
Including significant drops in Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Tesla, the top seven tech giants saw a $995 billion loss in market value in the initial moments of trading, although they did recover somewhat as the day went on.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 1250 points following a 611point loss on Friday 2nd August 2024.
S&P 500 futures are down 4.6% after the benchmark lost 1.8% on Friday 2nd August 2024.
Nasdaq-100 futures lost 6% as big tech stocks take a hit in early trading.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged 12% in its worst day since the 1987 Black Monday crash.
If the Dow Jones decline continues it would be the first 1000 point decline since September 2022.
The S&P 500 index dropped to closing at 5427, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid around 3.65% to end at 17342. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 504 points closing at 39853.
Shares of Google parent company Alphabet fell 5% for their biggest one-day drop since 31st January, when they dropped 7.5%. Although Alphabet reported good numbers, YouTube advertising revenue came in below the consensus estimate causing share to dip.
Tesla shares declined around 12% – their worst day since 2020 – on weaker-than-expected results and a 7% year-on-year drop in auto revenue.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.39%, closing at 5588. The tech-geared Nasdaq tumbled 2.77%, finishing at 17996, marking its worst session since December 2022 and ending below 18000 for the first time since 1st July 2024.
Conversely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average resisted the downward trend, gaining around 243 points, or to close at 41198. This advance led the index to close above the 41000 milestone.
The Dow closed at 40,000.90, after hitting a new all-time high of 40,257.
The S&P 500 added 0.55% to 5,615, and the Nasdaq Composite went up 0.63% to 18,398. However, on Thursday 11th July 2024 the S&P 500 experienced its worst day since late April due to a major market rotation, with Nvidia dropping 5.6%.
Investors rotated from tech to industrial stocks in the Dow on Friday, hoping that slowing inflation might lead to a Federal Reserve rate cut in September.
The Dow gained 1.6% for the week, spurred by a report showing a 0.1% decline in the consumer price index for June. Recent reports suggest that the Federal Reserve might indeed consider a rate cut in September if inflation continues to slow.
While the AI growth has been dominant, other market catalysts, such as potential rate cuts, can also drive different sectors, including utilities.
Good earnings, improving economic news and the promise of a rate cut are combining to become the perfect storm for U.S. stocks.
The S&P 500 index rose by 1.02%, ending the day at 5,633 and marking its seventh consecutive day of gains. The Nasdaq Composite increased, achieving a new all-time high closing at 18,647.
This year has seen the S&P 500 close at record highs some 37 times, with the Nasdaq following closely with 27 record high finishes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average grew by 429 points, finishing at 39,721.
Note: figures rounded
This surge followed a rally in U.S. Big Tech stocks, fueled by optimism over a potential Federal Reserve rate cut moving ever closer.
The Nikkei climbed almost 1% to close at 42,224 driven by gains in technology shares, while the comprehensive Topix index advanced to finish at 2,929.
Asia-Pacific markets witnessed highs on Tuesday 8th July 2024, mirroring the gains on Wall Street where the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite ended at record highs. India’s Nifty 50 index also hit an all-time high of 24401.2
Investors are anticipating the forthcoming U.S. consumer price index release to discern the Federal Reserve’s direction on interest rates.
Pundits have moved this year from four 0.25% rate reductions to one and now maybe to two with the first in September 2024. The Fed trickles decisions out from its fickle stance and each time the markets move in anticipation like a lap dog eagerly awaiting a pat. It almost doesn’t matter what the Fed does – markets want to go up. However, a rate reduction and good economic and earnings news will drive the markets even higher, for a while.
Markets are currently anticipating earnings reports. The Federal Reserve, having considered the latest economic reports, has influenced the markets with a mix of indifferent decisions. AI and technology have significantly shifted the stock market landscape, with the potential for further growth – provided that earnings sustain the pace of AI investments and expenses.
Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite achieved record highs again overnight, alongside Japan’s Nikkei and Topix reaching new highs too.
The Nikkei 225 climbed to settle at 41580.17 after hitting a new high of 41769.35. The Topix also gained, closing at 2895.55, having touched a peak of 2907.21.
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%.
The S&P 500 closed at a new high of 5537, while the Nasdaq Composite finished the session at 18188, buoyed by rallies in technology and AI stocks like Tesla and Nvidia. Both indices reached new all-time highs during the session and closed at record levels.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost just closed down at 39308.
Trading volume was subdued as the New York Stock Exchange closed early at 1 p.m. ET. The exchange will remain closed on Thursday 4th July 2024 for Independence Day celebrations.
This impressive achievement has prolonged the blistering rally of 2024, during which the index has reached 32 record highs. Since July 2023, the S&P 500 index has surged by more than 1000 points.
The rise in U.S. equities has been propelled by robust corporate earnings, the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, and the anticipation of interest rate reductions. Although some analysts warn that the market might be stretched too far, others are forecasting additional increases.
Many analysts have now raised their target for the S&P 500 to end the year at around 5700.
The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK), which will rebalance soon, is guided by an index that will adjust based on the market cap value at Friday’s close. According SPDR Americas Research, the recalibration will reportedly position Microsoft as the leading stock, followed by Nvidia, and then Apple.
Without caps, each of the three stocks would exceed a 20% weight in the index. However, the index’s diversification rules restrict the total weight that stocks constituting at least a 5% share of the fund can hold.
The index concluded at 5473, while the Nasdaq Composite soared to 17857. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 188.94 points, finishing at 38778.
These gains occurred after XLK announced it was rebalancing its fund in favour of Nvidia. The major technology exchange-traded fund will get 20% weighting and billions in investor demand it was announced.
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.
Tech led AI frenzy feed the new moves to all-time highs!
The S&P 500 index rose by 0.85%, closing at around 5421 while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.53%, finishing at 17608.
Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached unprecedented levels and set closing records on Wednesday 12th June 2024. Conversely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average marginally declined by 0.09%, or around 35 points, to settle at 38712.
The Federal Reserve maintained the interest rates, aligning with widespread expectations. The Fed also acknowledged some progress on inflation. Modest further progress has been made toward the Committee’s 2% inflation goal and this was more than enough coupled with the recent jobs report to push U.S. markets even higher.
A tiny glimpse of the ‘2% inflation future’ was all it took to send markets on an AI led feeding frenzy to push the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to new all-time highs.
One caveat though, the Fed’s recent forecasts predict only one rate reduction this year, a decrease from the three rate cuts anticipated earlier in 2024.
It was enough to propel markets to fresh all-time highs!