US Stock Market Trend (Aug 25): Besant's Trillion-Dollar Bond Buy Pushes Down Long-Term Rates, Nasdaq Falls, Dow Rises Amid Extreme Divergence
August 26, US Stock Market: Nasdaq Drops as S&P 500 Sees Mixed Close Amid Treasury Moves, Geopolitical Concerns.
The US stock market was sharply divided on Monday. The Dow Jones rose 0.26% to 53,417.16, extending gains, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.28% to 7,652.82, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.76% to 25,869.14. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index tumbled nearly 4%. Treasury Secretary Bessenter took center stage, announcing dual actions: deploying nearly a trillion dollars from the Treasury General Account (TGA) to repurchase long-term bonds to pressure yields, while simultaneously imposing new sanctions on Iran. Long-term Treasury yields edged lower, with the 10-year yield falling about 3 basis points to 4.70%. However, markets focused on the geopolitical risks from the sanctions, prompting a risk-off shift into gold and Bitcoin, weighing heavily on tech and AI-hardware stocks.
Nvidia informed major cloud clients of plans to raise AI server prices by over 15% starting next year. The company also reportedly plans to invest in AI search firm Perplexity. Despite this pricing power signal, its stock and the broader chip sector were dragged down by macro and geopolitical worries. All eyes are on Nvidia's earnings report scheduled for release after Wednesday's market close, with focus on Blackwell shipment details and data center revenue guidance.
Samsung Electronics disappointed markets with a shareholder return plan seen as insufficient, raising concerns about capital expenditure prospects in the memory chip sector and contributing to the semiconductor selloff.
In trade policy, former President Trump announced plans to raise US tariffs on Canadian autos, auto parts, and steel to 50% starting next year, significantly escalating trade tensions.
Amid the risk-off sentiment, spot gold rose 1.05% to $4,651.24 per ounce, hitting a near three-month high. Bitcoin climbed 1.59% to $78,966, approaching the $80,000 level for the first time since mid-May.
Market attention turns to the US Conference Board's August Consumer Confidence Index, for clues on the resilience of consumer spending, and to continued positioning ahead of Nvidia's pivotal earnings report.
marsbit9m ago