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US equity markets advanced despite a fresh rise in Treasury yields, with some solid gains among technology heavyweights – Dow added +91-points or +0.18%, with NVIDIA Corp (up +2.12% to a fresh record closing high of US$238.90) and Visa Inc (+2.51%) up over >2%.

US equity markets opened the new month and quarter with modest gains, recovering from earlier losses as Treasury yields retreated from multi-decade highs and investors eyed tonight’s AEST jobs figures  – Dow inched +21-points or +0.04% higher. Boeing Co (up +3.35%) and Salesforce Inc (+3.1%) rallied over >3%, while International Business Machines (IBM) Corp gained +2.59%. Walt Disney Co (down -3.4%) and Amgen Inc (-3.38%) both fell ~3.4%, with the former planning to cut hundreds of jobs as part of a restructuring of its television operations according to the Wall Street Journal.

A fresh jump in Treasury yields weighed on US equity markets albeit the major averages settled off their session lows after CNN and Axios reported, citing White House officials, that President Trump was open to providing sanctions relief to Iran on nuclear matters – Dow fell -347-points or -0.67%. Boeing Co dropped -6.91% after the Federal Aviation Administration said it wouldn’t certify the aerospace giant’s 737 Max 10 until it assesses a new software glitch. Salesforce Inc (-2.88%), International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation (-2.15%), and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (-2.05%) fell over >2%.  Nvidia Corp (up +1.68%) bucked the weaker trend among semiconductor stocks after the company announced plans to buy back an additional US$150B worth of its shares, the biggest-ever company share buyback and bringing the total value of its share repurchasing program to US$235B. Nvidia also unveiled an Open Agent Safety Platform “to strengthen AI security from agent testing to deployment.”The broader S&P500 lost -0.77%, logging its largest daily percentage drop since August settling in negative territory for the month-to-date (down -0.03%). Communication Services (down -1.67%) and Consumer Discretionary (-1.28%) fell over >1.5% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. Meta Platforms Inc dropped -4.79% after rallying +12.9% last week amid a series of announcements related to its personal AI agent Muse that was launched on 8 September and booking a five-week winning streak.    Newmont Corp -4.43%

US equity markets advanced on Friday (25 September) to cap a volatile week of trading – Dow gained +479-points or +0.93%. Microsoft Corporation rallied +3.66% to $516.17 and booked its highest close since November last year after the technology giant unveiled an updated Copilot app with new capabilities, including coding and autonomous-agent tools.

US equity markets were mixed overnight following a muted session as oil prices and bond yields continued to climb. The Dow fell -162 points of -0.31%.Stocks recovered from their session lows following reports that US and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a potential agreement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. Under the proposed plan, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US gradually lifting economic sanctions on Tehran.  Investors are awaiting news from the meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington ahead of a state dinner at which several corporate leaders are expected to attend. Earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. and China will extend a tariff truce by two months, until January.

US equity markets declined as crude prices and global bond yields resumed their march higher – Dow fell -352-points or -0.68%. McDonald’s Corp dropped -4.81% after announcing plans for its own media network, pricey restaurant upgrades/remodelling and ways to win over GLP-1 users during an investor presentation at its Chicago headquarters. In June, the company unveiled its newest growth strategy, McDonald’s > NEXT. However, until last night executives had offered few details about how they would implement the plan and how it may affect its financial results over the coming years. McDonald’s aims to win over more diners at a time the company expects inflation and flat traffic to restaurants overall will persist, CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNBC. The four (4) ‘Magnificent Seven’ members in the Dow all declined, with Alphabet Inc down -3.8%, Amazon.com Inc -2.24%, Apple Inc -0.8% and NVIDIA Corp -1.47%.

US equity markets closed a volatile week on a muted and mixed note on Friday. Dow slipped 95 points or 0.2%. IBM, Walt Disney, Nike, and Salesforce all falling over 2%. Apple is 0.3% as the technology giants iPhone 18 models and other new products debuted following a launch event last week.

US equity markets declined, with chipmakers under particular pressure after top executives in U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) companies raised safety concerns and called for a slowdown in the ‌development of AI – Dow eased -152-points or -0.29% after declining ~300-points earlier in the session. Caterpillar Inc (down -4.22%) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (-3.96%) booked the largest percentage declines in the 30-stock index.

US equity markets advanced on Friday (11 September), snapping a four-session losing streak as oil prices snapped an eight-session winning streak and pulled back from five-month highs, while investors digested inflation figures that cemented expectations of an interest rate hike later this week  – Dow rebounded +509-points or +0.98%.The broader S&P500 rallied +0.86%, with Communication Services (up +1.35%), Consumer Discretionary (+1.13%), Information Technology (+1.11%) and Industrials (+1.07%) all climbing over >1% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Utilities (down -0.34%) and Health Care (-0.14%) were the only sectors to settle in the red. Server makers Dell Technologies Inc (up 11.98%) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (+12.44%) led the S&P 500’s gainers on Friday (11 September), as investors were reassured about data-centre spending by Oracle Corp’s (down -1.74%) latest earnings report.

US equity and bond markets were CLOSED overnight AEST for the Labor Day holiday.In US corporate earnings, Casey’s General Stores Inc releases its fiscal first-quarter result tonight AEST.In US economic data, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Business Optimism Index for August, Consumer Inflation Expectations for August and Used Car Prices for August are released tonight AEST.European bourses settled narrowly mixed in thin trading, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index (which includes UK equities) little changed. Energy (up +1.29%) and Technology (+1.10%) rose over >1%, while Health Care (down 0.94%) and Financial Services (-0.91%) fell over >0.9%.   Germany’s DAX slipped -0.15%. France’s CAC added +0.33%.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (4 September) following a stronger-than-expected August jobs report that ignited fresh concerns about interest rate hikes – Dow fell -272-points or 0.51%. Apple Inc (-2.51%) and Microsoft Corp (-2.04%) fell over >2%.

US equity markets rallied as Treasury yields retreated for a second session, with a rally for mega-capitalisation technology names and software stocks helping the S&P500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average book their best one-day gains since 4 August – Dow rallied +624-points or +1.18%.  Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose +3.34%, while Microsoft Corp (+2.68%), Salesforce Inc (+2.92%), The Travelers Companies Inc (+2.23%) and Walmart Inc (+2.20%) all gained over >2%.

US equity markets advanced as the rally in Treasury yields paused although crude prices continued to climb – Dow rose +295-points or +0.56%, snapping a three-session losing streak. Nvidia Corp gained +3.21% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang addressed a technology event in North Carolina hosted by the US and called on Group of 20 (G20) nations to accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence as a way to enhance growth, urging the world’s largest economies to expand data centres and other infrastructure to support the emerging technology. Chevron Corp added +0.35% after the energy giant and Italy’s ENI S.p.A (+0.61%) signed key agreements with Venezuela, committing to large oil project expansions aimed at boosting the OPEC country’s production said it was going to expand operations in Venezuela.

US equity markets weaker to open September as fresh gains for oil prices and bond yields stoked inflation concerns and dented investor sentiment – Dow lost -419-points or -0.79% to 52,766.88, its lowest close since 31 July and settling below its 50-day moving average (52,849.85) for the first time since 10 April [From 10 April, the Dow rallied 20.3% to its 5 August record close of 54,349.12]. Caterpillar Inc (down -2.3%), The Home Depot (-2.46%) and Sherwin-Williams Co (-2.62%) all declining over >2%. Members of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ cohort of mega-capitalisation technology stocks also struggled for a second session running, with Amazon.com Inc (-1.87%), Alphabet Inc (-1.28%) and Nvidia Corp (-1.51%) all down over >1%. However, Apple Inc rallied +2.61% as John Ternus took the helm as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) following the 15-year tenure of now-retired Tim Cook.

Technology stocks powered the latest gains on US equity markets, with Nvidia Corp’s second quarter result   – Dow added +106-points or +0.20% although just six (6) of the index’s 30 components advanced.  Nvidia Corp +8.74% after the chip giant released its second quarter result after the close of the previous session with robust forecasts that illustrated the relentless demand ‌for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, even as it warned that shortages of memory components could curb the pace of the industry's growth. Salesforce Inc soared +22.58% after the client relationship management software provider reported a strong fiscal second quarter result and better-than-expected guidance after the close of the previous session. International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation +3.88% and Microsoft Corp +1.75% . McDoalnd’s Corp, Merck and Disney fell over >2%.The broader S&P500 rose +0.72%  Information Technology (up +3.40%) was the only primary sector to advance overnight. Consumer Staples (down -1.50%), Health Care (-1.10%) and Consumer Discretionary (-1.02%) all fell over >1%.  Moderna Inc -4.60% after unveiling a US$2B convertible bonds sale