Stock market news for July 17, 2024

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite retreated on Wednesday because the rotation out of high-flying expertise shares and into extra rate-sensitive names continued.

The broad S&P 500 misplaced 1.39% to shut at 5,588.27. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 2.77% to finish at 17,996.92, posting its worst session since December 2022 and shutting under 18,000 for the primary time since July 1.

However the Dow Jones Industrial Common bucked the downtrend, including 243.60 factors, or 0.59%, to finish at 41,198.08. That propelled the index to its first-ever shut above 41,000.

A achieve of about 4.5% in UnitedHealth following a Wall Avenue improve on the again of its sturdy earnings report helped raise the 30-stock index. This builds on Tuesday’s rally of greater than 700 factors, which marked the blue-chip index’s finest day in additional than a 12 months.

Then again, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq had been weighed down by a continued pullback in megacap expertise shares. That marks a flip after tech shares’ monster run this 12 months amid the substitute intelligence craze.

In actual fact, Wednesday’s session was the primary since 2001 by which the Nasdaq posted a loss exceeding 2.5% whereas the Dow registered a achieve. Inside the S&P 500, info expertise and communication providers had been the 2 worst performing sectors within the session.

Notably, Meta Platforms tumbled 5.7%, whereas large tech friends Netflix and Microsoft dropped greater than 1%. Apple slid 2.5%.

Semiconductor shares additionally struggled after Bloomberg Information reported that the Biden administration is contemplating harder commerce restrictions if firms proceed granting China entry to U.S.-made expertise.

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) fell greater than 7% following the report, its worst day since March 2020. Nvidia and U.S.-listed shares of Taiwan Semiconductor sank greater than 6% and practically 8%, respectively.

The Russell 2000 slipped 1%, ending its five-day win streak. Nonetheless, the small cap-focused index has climbed greater than 9% during the last 5 buying and selling days because the market rally broadened out. In the meantime, the Nasdaq has shed greater than 3% in the identical interval amid the tech sell-off.

This rotation comes as merchants have turn out to be extra optimistic on rate of interest cuts, which ought to profit small caps and firms with increased financing prices. Fed funds futures buying and selling implies a excessive probability the Federal Reserve will decrease charges in September, in line with the CME FedWatch instrument.

“Individuals are actually simply promoting a number of the megacaps, taking some income, and shopping for a few of these extra cyclical firms,” mentioned Mike Dickson, head of analysis and quantitative methods at Horizon Investments. “I might not be shocked to see this proceed till earnings.”

Correction: An earlier model misstated the day when the Dow rose greater than 700 factors.