Stock Market

The U.S. major indexes closed as follows: Dow Jones declined 0.36% at 51,863.69; S&P 500 slipped 0.00% at 7,764.64; NASDAQ rose 0.45% at 27,244.28. A late-session lift in heavyweight technology issues offset weakness in cyclical shares, leaving the broad market mixed but keeping the growth-heavy composite in positive territory.

Semiconductor and AI-linked names dominated the day’s unusual moves. SanDisk (SNDK) jumped 6.82% at $1,887.04 after a bullish analyst initiation, while fellow memory maker Micron Technology (MU) added 5.00% at $1,096.16.

The leveraged fund Direxion Daily Semiconductors Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) climbed 7.13% at $151.95, whereas its bearish counterpart SOXS fell 7.09% at $32.42. AI enthusiasm also lifted NVIDIA (NVDA) 0.66% at $228.87, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) advanced 1.34% at $623.77.

Smaller caps were lively: coworking platform Ucommune (UK) surged 10.89% at $2.10, and piping group ZK International (ZKIN) leapt 35.51% at $1.45, making it one of the session’s biggest percentage gainers.

Overall, strength in memory and AI-hardware plays helped cushion broader market softness. Investors continued to rotate toward companies seen as central to next-generation computing demand, even as macro concerns and skittish energy prices kept the Dow in check. The mixed finish highlights an ongoing tug-of-war between growth optimism tied to artificial intelligence and caution over higher rates and commodity volatility.

Other Markets

U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose by 0.00%, latest at 4.97%.

USD/CNH rose 0.04%, at 6.75; USD/HKD fell 0.00%, at 7.84.

U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.02%, at 100.55.

WTI crude futures fell 0.95%, at 89.66 USD/bbl; COMEX gold futures rose 0.58%, at 4,401.90 USD/oz.

Top News

1. White House Weighs Diesel Export Ban To Tame Fuel Costs. President Donald Trump said officials are studying a full or partial halt to U.S. diesel shipments abroad as prices surge. Energy traders warn the move could backfire by lifting global and domestic fuel costs.

2. Big Software Firms Slash AI Prices To Defend Market Share. Amazon, Microsoft, Adobe, Figma and Workday are offering free trials and discounts on new AI tools to deter customers from switching to rivals Anthropic and OpenAI. The concessions highlight intensifying competition in enterprise artificial-intelligence services.

3. Meta’s New Muse AI Assistant Spurs Fresh Disruption Fears. The virtual agent has raced to the top of app-store charts, stoking worries it could upend industries from travel booking to insurance brokerage. Shares of several financial and travel firms dropped more than 5% amid the uncertainty.

4. Rosenblatt Starts SanDisk At Buy, Sees 36% Upside On AI Memory Demand. The analyst argued AI servers are turning NAND flash into a mission-critical component, lifting expectations for sustained price strength. SanDisk shares surged over 6% on the call and have climbed more than 600% year-to-date.

5. Apple Tops $5 Trillion In Market Value As It Unveils High-End AI Macs. New Mac Mini and Mac Studio models promise desktop-class AI processing at lower long-term cost than cloud rentals, positioning Apple to challenge Microsoft and NVIDIA in enterprise computing. Investors sent the stock up 1.3% on the development.

6. U.S., Denmark Secure Greenland Defense Pact, Sparking Mining Rally. A trilateral agreement granting Washington permanent security oversight of Greenland bolstered the island’s strategic profile. Shares of Greenland-focused miners soared, with one company jumping more than 80% on expectations of increased resource development.

7. Viking Therapeutics Reports 19% Weight Loss In Mid-Stage Trial. Its dual-agonist drug VK2735 met key obesity benchmarks, with some patients losing over 20% of body weight after extended dosing. The news propelled Viking’s stock up 35%, intensifying competition for leaders in the weight-loss market.

8. Binance Invests $100 Million In Circle To Promote USDC Stablecoin. The five-year partnership includes incentive payments to boost adoption of the dollar-pegged token on Binance’s platform. Circle’s latest fundraising values the fintech at roughly $24 billion.

9. Tehran Dismisses Reports Of Imminent Strait Of Hormuz Reopening Deal. Iranian officials labeled earlier media claims of negotiations with Washington “untrue,” briefly stabilizing crude prices after a sharp drop linked to the rumors. Energy traders remain alert to any future diplomatic shifts.

10. U.S. Secretary Of State Signals No Planned Trump–Iran Leader Meeting. Secretary Rubio said Washington remains open to dialogue at the UN but no session is scheduled. He added that most oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have resumed, easing immediate supply fears.

Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, MT Newswires, Tiger Newspress, public market data Disclaimer: This content is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice.