As of 11:38 AM ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.16%) is up 0.13% to 52,017.19, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.31%) is down 0.33% to 7,387.76, and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC -0.56%) has slipped 0.44% to 24,840.43 as tech pressure offsets optimism from cooling geopolitical tensions.
Today’s Change
Index Level
7,388.90
Gold is up 0.45% to $4,074.30, and the 10-Year Treasury yield is down 0.03% to 4.65%. Communications and consumer defensive stocks are this morning’s top-performing sectors while technology and energy sectors are in the red.
Today’s biggest moves
RTX Corp climbed 2.61% to $218.28 on strong Q2 earnings. SAP surged 7.4% to $171.79, extending last week’s gains after the software company beat earnings expectations. Conversely, Nvidia is trading lower amid concerns about Chinese competition. Reddit is up 6.7% to 171.79 on optimism about its upcoming earnings.
What this means for investors
Oil prices fell this morning on news of a pause in strikes between the U.S. and Iran. WTI crude oil fell almost 7% to $83.15 a barrel, boosting market sentiment and lifting the Dow slightly. However, investors are braced for further volatility and will be watching the Federal Reserve meeting this week. The Fed is widely expected to leave rates unchanged in July, but inflationary pressures caused by ongoing tensions in the Middle East and high spending by tech companies could prompt it to raise rates before the end of the year.
On the other side, renewed artificial intelligence (AI) valuation concerns weighed on markets. This week will bring earnings from Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple, and Amazon, and investors will be paying close attention to capital expenditure plans. The high concentration in the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 means any drop in their share prices will have an outsized impact on these major indexes.
Emma Newbery has positions in Amazon, Apple, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, RTX, and Reddit. The Motley Fool recommends SAP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
