The S&P 500 closed at 7,549.94, up 173.08 points, a gain of 2.35 percent. Breadth was wide: 399 of the index's 470 members finished higher. The top five contributors accounted for 24 percent of the index's gain, a concentration level the payload marks as broad rather than narrow, and the equal-weighted move of 2.47 percent ran slightly ahead of the headline number, meaning the average stock did at least as well as the index itself. Apple added 14.87 points, Broadcom added 14.15, and those two names together contributed 29.02 points to the index. Microsoft, AMD, and Amazon rounded out the top five. On the other side, Nvidia was the lone major drag, subtracting 25.28 points on a 4.27 percent decline; Philip Morris, Exxon, Accenture, and Chevron were all down but barely moved the needle.
The Dow
The Dow closed at 52,389.75, up 1,104.02 points, a gain of 2.15 percent, with 26 of its 30 members higher. Unlike the S&P, this was a concentrated move: the top five names accounted for 51 percent of the gain. Goldman Sachs led with 242.68 points on a 4.72 percent move, and Caterpillar followed with 239.29 points on a 7.21 percent gain; together the two stocks contributed 481.97 points, well over a third of the index's total advance. Microsoft, Sherwin-Williams, and Home Depot filled out the rest of the top five. Nvidia dragged the Dow lower by 47.37 points, more than double its influence on a per-point basis versus the S&P, since the Dow is price-weighted and Nvidia's share price carries unusual weight there. Chevron and Boeing were the only other notable detractors, both modest.
The Nasdaq 100
The Nasdaq 100 closed at 27,907.63, up 917.63 points, a gain of 3.4 percent, the largest percentage move of the three indices. Breadth was strong at 85 of 99 members higher. Broadcom topped the list with 100.52 points on an 8.78 percent gain, Apple added 98.72, and Microsoft added 88.34. AMD's 13.26 percent gain translated into 79.73 points, and Space Exploration Technologies Corp added 86.49 points on a 5.81 percent move, a name that does not appear anywhere in the S&P or Dow tables today. Nvidia's drag was far larger here than in the other two indices, subtracting 156.83 points on the same 4.27 percent decline, underscoring how much more weight it carries in this index. PDD, Thomson Reuters, Strategy, and Take-Two rounded out the detractors, all minor by comparison.
The sectors
Every one of the eleven sectors finished higher, a session with no laggards in absolute terms, only in degree. Industrials led at 3.81 percent, followed closely by Technology at 3.70 percent, then Consumer Discretionary and Communication Services. Energy brought up the rear at 0.57 percent, still positive but a fraction of the leaders' pace.
Industrials' 3.81 percent gain was led by Caterpillar, which added 0.59 points to the sector ETF on its 7.21 percent move, the same stock that was doing heavy lifting in the Dow.
Energy's 0.57 percent gain was the softest of the day, with Marathon Petroleum the top contributor at 0.13 points on a 4.55 percent gain, not enough to lift the sector out of last place.
Against the past year, today's move ranks at the 99th percentile for both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100, and the 98th percentile for the Dow, making this one of the largest single-day advances of the period for all three.
The numbers
- The S&P 500 closed at 7,549.94, up 173.08 points or 2.35 percent, with 399 of 470 members higher.
- The Dow closed at 52,389.75, up 1,104.02 points or 2.15 percent, with 26 of 30 members higher.
- The Nasdaq 100 closed at 27,907.63, up 917.63 points or 3.4 percent, with 85 of 99 members higher.
- Caterpillar was the single biggest driver within the Dow, adding 239.29 points on a 7.21 percent gain.
- Nvidia was the biggest drag across all three indices, subtracting 25.28 points from the S&P 500, 47.37 points from the Dow, and 156.83 points from the Nasdaq 100.
- Industrials was the day's strongest sector, up 3.81 percent, led by Caterpillar.
- Energy was the day's weakest sector, up just 0.57 percent, led by Marathon Petroleum.
- The S&P 500's move ranks at the 99th percentile versus the past year, and the Dow's at the 98th percentile.
From Babylon Burns
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