Dow Jumps to Fresh Highs as Home Depot Leads; S&P and Nasdaq Rebound, Chip Stocks Mixed
US equities pushed to session highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 1.45% as cyclical and megacap names lifted risk appetite. The S&P 500 rose 0.94% (about 63 points), while the Nasdaq Composite reversed early losses to gain 0.64% after being down nearly 285 points at one stage.
Blue Chips Extend Gains Home Depot paced the Dow with a 4.8% rally, while Nike gained 3.3% and Salesforce added 2.8%. The rotation into established large caps helped stabilize the broader market after an early technology wobble, signaling firm intraday risk sentiment and supportive liquidity flows into the index heavyweights.
Tech Tape Mixed as AI Leaders Lag Semiconductor names were the primary drag within tech. Nvidia fell 2.9% to $177.26 but bounced off an intraday low of $169.55. AMD slid 4.7% to $205 after dropping as much as $20.78 at session lows. Elsewhere in tech, gains were more constructive: Broadcom climbed 2.0%, Alphabet rose 1.2%, Amazon added 1.4%, Microsoft advanced 0.9%, and Palantir firmed 1.0%, according to market data compiled by BPayNews.
Market Positioning and Intraday Tone The advance reflected a constructive risk backdrop with breadth supported by blue-chip leadership and steady megacaps beyond the chips complex. While AI-linked semis faced profit-taking and elevated single-stock volatility, broader equity indices benefited from rotation and dip-buying dynamics that improved the overall risk profile into the afternoon.
Market Highlights – Dow Jones +1.45%, setting new session highs as cyclicals lead – S&P 500 +0.94% (≈63 pts); Nasdaq +0.64% after a deep early drawdown – Home Depot +4.8%; Nike +3.3%; Salesforce +2.8% – Nvidia -2.9% to $177.26, off session low $169.55; AMD -4.7% to $205 – Broadcom +2.0%; Alphabet +1.2%; Amazon +1.4%; Microsoft +0.9%; Palantir +1.0%
Questions and Answers Q: Why is the Dow outperforming today? A: Strong gains in heavyweight components such as Home Depot, Nike, and Salesforce are driving blue-chip leadership, with investors rotating into established names amid a mixed tech tape.
Q: What caused the Nasdaq to recover intraday? A: Dip-buying in megacaps outside of semiconductors helped the Nasdaq claw back earlier losses, improving risk appetite and stabilizing index-level momentum.
Q: How are AI chip stocks trading? A: Semis remain volatile. Nvidia and AMD are lower on the day but well off intraday troughs, indicating ongoing profit-taking and elevated single-name FX-style volatility within chips.
Q: What should traders watch next? A: Monitor closing flows, leadership durability in blue chips versus semis, and any headlines that may sway sector rotation and equity volatility into the close.
