Market

August 20, U.S. stocks closed with modest gains across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.22%, the S&P 500 also rose 0.22%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.16% as investors weighed mixed earnings and light summer trading volumes. A rebound in select healthcare and technology names helped offset weakness in several high-profile chipmakers.

Biotech led the day’s standout moves. Moderna (MRNA) soared 176.97% after unveiling promising interim data on its next-generation mRNA flu vaccine. Marvell Technology (MRVL) jumped 9.85% on upbeat guidance, while Tesla (TSLA) gained 4.23% as Elon Musk teased new AI advances. Apple (AAPL) added 2.19% following reports of strong iPhone pre-order trends, and Palantir (PLTR) climbed 2.13% on a new government contract. On the downside, Western Digital (WDC) fell 6.87% amid sector downgrades, Broadcom (AVGO) slid 4.61% on antitrust concerns, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) dropped 3.71% after a competitor unveiled a rival AI chip.

Additional movers highlighted selective risk appetite. Marred by profit-taking, Intel (INTC) slipped 4.02%, while semiconductor ETFs diverged—Direxion Bear 3x (SOXS) rallied 6.47% as its Bull 3x counterpart (SOXL) fell 6.48%. Crypto-exposed MicroStrategy (MSTR) surged 12.68%, and Circle Internet (CRCL) jumped 9.56% as Bitcoin flirted with a three-month high. Chinese ADRs were mixed: Kingsoft Cloud (KC) climbed 14.11%, yet Opera (OPRA) fell 7.12%.

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