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September 21, 2026 · market close

Meta, AMD, and Intel Surge Push the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 to Large Gains While the Dow Lags

Chip and media stocks drove the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 to some of their largest moves of the past year, while Goldman Sachs and Chevron pulled the Dow in opposite directions and left it well behind.

The S&P 500 closed at 7,764.70, up 114.20 points, or 1.49%, on the day. Breadth was solidly positive, with 288 of the index's 500 members higher, and concentration ran moderate at 39% of the day's points.

The S&P 500 through the session

Meta Platforms led all points contributed, adding 18.89 points on an 11.34% jump. Nvidia added 15.28 points on a 2.3% gain, and AMD contributed 10.45 points as it rose 9.95%. Intel added 7.38 points on a 12.14% surge, and Microsoft added another 7.24 points on a 1.59% gain. On the other side, Exxon Mobil was the largest drag, subtracting 2.76 points as it fell 3.14%. Berkshire Hathaway Class B slipped 1.52%, Chevron fell 2.79%, Marathon Petroleum tumbled 5.3%, and Union Pacific declined 3.48%.

S&P 500 attribution map, cell size = points contributed

The Dow

The Dow closed at 52,048.83, up 366.19 points, or 0.71%, on the day. Breadth was strong, with 21 of the index's 30 members higher, but the percentage gain trailed both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 by a wide margin.

The Dow through the session

Goldman Sachs was the Dow's largest contributor, adding 103.36 points on a 1.85% gain. Microsoft added 46.54 points, Amgen contributed 44.64 points on a 1.95% rise, and Caterpillar matched that point total on a smaller 0.93% move. Alphabet added 32.27 points. Chevron was the heaviest drag, subtracting 34.71 points on the same 2.79% decline that showed up among the S&P 500's energy laggards. Travelers fell 0.93%, Home Depot slipped 0.93%, Salesforce declined 0.63%, and Coca-Cola dropped 1.28%. Concentration ran to 53% of the day's move, and the index's percentile placed the session at 84, just below the threshold used here for a large move, even as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both cleared it.

Dow attribution map, cell size = points contributed

The Nasdaq 100

The Nasdaq 100 closed at 30,482.35, up 838.18 points, or 2.83%, on the day, the largest percentage move of the three indexes. Breadth was broad, with 77 of the index's 98 members higher.

The Nasdaq 100 through the session

Meta Platforms again topped the list, adding 145.34 points on its 11.34% jump. Nvidia contributed 93.07 points, AMD added 68.72 points on its 9.95% gain, Alphabet added 59.71 points on a 1.88% rise, and Intel added 52.64 points on a 12.14% surge, the largest single percentage gain among the day's top movers. The index's losers were minor by comparison: Space Exploration Technologies subtracted 8.82 points on a 0.56% decline, Sandisk fell 1.41%, T-Mobile US slipped 1.73%, Monster Beverage declined 1.59%, and CSX fell 2.36%. Concentration measured 37%, the lowest of the three indexes, and the 98th percentile mark makes this one of the larger Nasdaq 100 moves of the past year.

Nasdaq 100 attribution map, cell size = points contributed

The sectors

Across the eleven sectors, the session split along a clear line: chip and media-linked growth names on one side, energy on the other. Communication Services led with a 3.56% gain, and Technology followed at 2.76%. Consumer Discretionary rose 1.06%, and Health Care, Real Estate, Industrials, and Financials all posted gains under half a percent. Materials slipped 0.5%, Consumer Staples and Utilities each fell 1.09%, and Energy was the weakest sector by a wide margin, down 2.91%.

The 11 sectors by move, top contributor named

Communication Services was the strongest sector of the day, adding 3.95 points as a group. Meta Platforms was its top driver, contributing 2.37 points on the same 11.34% gain that lifted both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100.

Communication Services: what moved it

Energy was the weakest sector, down 2.91% and subtracting 1.87 points. Exxon Mobil was the sector's top drag, subtracting 0.57 points on a 3.14% decline, the same stock that led the S&P 500's list of laggards.

Energy: what moved it

Measured against the past year, the S&P 500's move landed in the 96th percentile of sessions, the Nasdaq 100's in the 98th, and the Dow's in the 84th, just below the large-move threshold used in this note.

The numbers

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Nvidia and Micron Lift the S&P 500 and Nasda
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Compiled by the WMTMT attribution engine from the session's official data · built by the founders of Babylon Burns