29/05/2026
Update 28/05/2026
— The stock market had a relatively quiet session, with some profit-taking across semiconductor names limiting gains across the S&P 500 (flat) and Nasdaq Composite (+0.1%), while another retreat in oil prices supported strength in the broader market, sending the DJIA (+0.4%) to fresh record highs.—While the S&P 500 managed to capture a record closing high, the index spent much of the session in negative territory, which was largely due to weakness in the information technology sector (-0.4%). The sector finished well off its session lows, but semiconductor names remained a point of weakness following yesterday's Micron-led rally.—Micron (MU 928.41, +32.53, +3.63%) and other memory storage names managed to finish the session with gains, but large chipmakers such as NVIDIA (NVDA 212.60, -2.26, -1.05%) and Intel (INTC 121.77, -1.75, -1.42%) traded lower, while Qualcomm (QCOM 233.40, -15.42, -6.20%) was a notable laggard.—The PHLX Semiconductor Index finished 1.4% lower. —The information technology sector was one of five S&P 500 sectors to finish lower today, though losses elsewhere were generally modest. —The financials sector (-0.8%) was another laggard, with particular weakness across investment manager and insurance names. JPMorgan Chase (JPM 299.28, -7.46, -2.43%) traded lower after CEO Jamie Dimon said at a conference that the bank could commit $10 billion to $20 billion toward an acquisition in the coming years.—Elsewhere, the energy sector (-1.5%) finished with the widest loss as optimism surrounding a potential peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran sent oil prices sharply lower again today. The White House denied reports from Iranian state media suggesting the two sides are close to finalizing a memorandum of understanding that would restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a cabinet meeting that some progress has been made toward a peace agreement.—Crude oil futures settled today's session $5.29 lower (-5.6%) at $88.60 per barrel. —Airlines, cruise lines, and homebuilders all outperformed again today, with the latter two groups helping lift the consumer discretionary sector (+1.9%). Treasury yields also moved modestly lower, and the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF advanced 1.6%. —Elsewhere in the sector, Amazon (AMZN 271.85, +6.56, +2.47%) provided solid mega-cap leadership, while MGM Resorts (MGM 41.95, +3.50, +9.10%) was among the best-performing S&P 500 components after several brokerage upgrades.—The consumer staples sector (+1.0%) also outperformed as investors did some bargain hunting following yesterday's retreat, while Meta Platforms (META 635.26, +22.92, +3.74%) moved higher this afternoon after TechCrunch reported that the company plans to introduce global consumer subscription offerings, helping lift the communication services sector (+0.7%) to its best levels of the session. —Overall, stocks remained near record levels despite some consolidation across semiconductor names, while falling oil prices continued to reinforce optimism that a U.S.-Iran agreement is becoming increasingly plausible. At the same time, investors have continued to show a willingness to buy dips across semiconductors and other AI-related names, which could fuel another push further into record territory.—U.S. Treasuries padded this week's gains during an otherwise quiet Wednesday session. Treasuries set fresh lows after today's $70 billion 5-year note auction met weaker demand than yesterday's solid 2-year note sale, but the last couple hours saw a return to pre-auction levels. The 2-year note yield settled down two basis points to 4.03%, the 5-year note yield settled down one basis point to 4.18%, and the 10-year note yield settled down one basis point to 4.48%.
Russell 2000: +17.7% YTD
Nasdaq Composite: +14.8% YTD
S&P Mid Cap 400: +12.4% YTD
S&P 500: +9.9% YTD
DJIA: +5.4% YTD
—Reviewing today's data:
The weekly MBA Mortgage Index fell 8.5% to follow last week's 2.3% decrease. The Purchase Index was down 0.4% while the Refinance Index fell 18.1%.