Closing Stock Market SummaryThe S&P 500 (+0.2%) and Nasdaq Composite (+0.5%) rose modestly on Tuesday, setting intraday and closing record highs in a tame session. The Nasdaq topped the 15,000 level for the first time ever while the S&P 500 flirted with the 4,500 level.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased just 0.1%. The Russell 2000 outperformed its large-cap peers with a 1.0% gain.
Risk sentiment seemed to draw support from several factors, including upbeat earnings news, better-than-expected new home sales data for July, decent rebound gains in Chinese technology stocks, and yesterday's reports that the Delta variant could be peaking in the U.S.
Despite the relative strength of the Nasdaq, there was a pro-cyclical disposition: The S&P 500 energy (+1.6%), consumer discretionary (+0.8%), materials (+0.7%), financials (+0.7%), and industrials (+0.5%) sectors finished atop the sector standings. Energy stocks derived their strength from the continued rebound in oil prices ($67.50, +1.90, +2.9%)
Conversely, the consumer staples (-0.8%), real estate (-0.7%), utilities (-0.6%), and health care (-0.3%) sectors closed lower for the second straight day. The information technology sector (-0.1%) was pinned down by softness in Apple (AAPL 149.62, -0.09, -0.1%) and Microsoft (MSFT 302.62, -2.03, -0.7%).
The underperformance of the defensive-oriented sectors coincided with increased risk-taking activity. For example, shares of GameStop (GME 210.29, +45.40, +27.5%) and AMC Entertainment (AMC 44.26, +7.48, +20.3%) rose more than 20.0% in the afternoon on no specific news.
Separately, Best Buy (BBY 121.49, +9.33, +8.3%), Palo Alto Networks (PANW 441.87, +69.30, +18.6%), and Medtronic (MDT 132.57, +4.09, +3.2%) were some of the earnings-related gainers. Alibaba (BABA 171.70, +10.64, +6.6%) and JD.com (JD 75.22, +9.49, +14.4%) were two Chinese stocks that saw some much-needed relief.
Unlike yesterday, longer-dated Treasury yields increased in sympathy with the cyclical bias. The 10-yr yield rose four basis points to 1.29% while the 2-yr yield slipped one basis point to 0.22% following a strong $60 bln 2-yr note auction. The U.S. Dollar Index decreased 0.2% to 92.88.
Reviewing Tuesday's economic data:
- New home sales increased 1.0% month-over-month in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 708,000 (consensus 700,000) from an upwardly revised 701,000 (from 676,000) in June. On a yr/yr basis, which encompasses a tough pandemic comparison period, new home sales were down 27.2%.
- In economic data:
- The key takeaway from the report is that new home sales, which are counted when contracts are signed, are being squeezed by cost constraints that are making it less enticing for builders to build lower-priced homes and by affordability pressures that are making it more challenging for prospective buyers to buy higher-priced homes.
Looking ahead, investors will receive Durable Goods Orders for July and the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index on Wednesday.
- S&P 500 +19.4% YTD
- Nasdaq Composite +16.5% YTD
- Dow Jones Industrial Average +15.6% YTD
- Russell 2000 +13.0% YTD