FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Exchange-Traded Funds Rise as US Equities Gain Midday

By

-- Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) gained 2%.

US equity indexes rose after midday Friday, with technology topping sector charts, as Washington expected Iran to respond to its peace proposal later in the day.

Energy

IShares US Energy ETF (IYE) fell 0.1%, and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) increased 0.1%.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rose 2.9%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) climbed up 2.2%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) gained 2.1%.

The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 4.1%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) rose 4.2%.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) fell 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) lost 1%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), gained 1.2%.

Commodities

Crude oil rose 1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) lost 0.2%. Natural gas was 0.9% higher, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) increased 0.3%.

Gold on Comex rose 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced 0.3%. Silver grew 0.8%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) gained 1.6%.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) increased 0.8%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) moved up 0.7%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) advanced 0.8%.

The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was up 0.6%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) rose 0.3%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) gained 0.8%.

Healthcare

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) each fell about 0.8%, while Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) declined 0.7%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) eased 0.1%.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was fractionally lower. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were little changed.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) declined 0.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) fell 0.5%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) eased 0.1%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 0.8% lower.

Related Articles

Asia Markets

US Equity Indexes Rise as Trump Awaits Iran's Response to Peace Proposal After Striking Iranian Tankers

US equity indexes rose on Friday as tech topped sectors, nonfarm payrolls handily beat consensus, and Washington hit Iranian tankers while awaiting a response to its peace proposal.The Nasdaq jumped 1.7% to 26,247.08, and the S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to 7,398.93. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed, but leaned higher at 49,609.16.Technology was up 2.7%, leading gainers. Healthcare and utilities were among the steepest decliners.In company news, Akamai Technologies (AKAM) reported Q1 non-GAAP net income above market expectations while sales rose. Chief Executive Tom Leighton said a US-based entity committed $1.8 billion over seven years for the company's cloud infrastructure services. Shares of Akamai soared 27%, the top gainer on the S&P 500.Monster Beverage (MNST) offers "outsized" long-term growth potential after reporting "very strong" Q1 and April performance, Morgan Stanley said in a Friday note. Shares of Monster Beverage surged 14%, among the biggest outperformers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.Nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, beating the 65,000 gain expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The increase in March was revised up by 7,000 to 185,000, while the fall in February was adjusted to 156,000 from 133,000, the BLS said.Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 3.4 basis points to 4.36% and the two-year rate lower by three basis points to 3.89%.The US expects a response from Iran on a proposal to end the war on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding he hopes "it's a serious offer," CNN reported.Meanwhile, US forces disabled two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers on Friday that were attempting to dock at an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the US blockade, US Central Command said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter. According to President Donald Trump, a ceasefire is still in effect, CNN reported.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "Iranians never bow to pressure" and "every time a diplomatic solution is on the table the US opts for a reckless military adventure," according to a report from the Associated Press.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 0.1% to $94.74, giving up intraday gains. Brent crude futures increased by 0.5% to $100.57, also off session highs of more than 1%.Further in economic news, US consumer sentiment continued to fall in May, with the main sentiment index dropping to an all-time low of 48.2 from April's 49.8, according to the University of Michigan's preliminary survey on Friday. The print marked the third consecutive monthly retreat. Wall Street expected a 49.5 print, according to a Bloomberg-compiled poll.The year-ahead inflation outlook dropped to 4.5% this month from 4.7% in April, according to the Michigan survey. The current outlook is still above the 3.4% reading reported in February, before the start of the Iran war. The five-year inflation forecast fell to 3.4% from 3.5%.In precious metals, gold futures advanced 0.4% to $4,730.1, and silver futures climbed 1% to $80.96.

$^DJI$^IXIC$^SPX$AKAM$MNST
Asia Markets

US Equity Indexes Advance This Week as AI-Trade Boosts Technology While Iran Ceasefire Continues

US equity indexes rose this week as quarterly earnings showed the benign effect of artificial intelligence on corporate results, sending the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite to new highs amid a fragile ceasefire.* The S&P 500 closed at 7,398.93 on Friday versus 7,230.12 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at about 26,247.07, compared with 25,114.44 a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 49,609.16, versus 49,499.27 at the end of last week.* Technology, consumer cyclicals, and communication services were among the top five sectors. Energy led the decliners.* In a category of stocks with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, firms with the heaviest of weights and sway in indexes, all but one were semiconductor companies with a weekly gain of at least 11%, according to data compiled by Finviz. The lone exception was Oracle (ORCL), up 14%.* "It's crystal clear to us that the AI Revolution is accelerating at a warp speed pace with 2026 being an inflection point year for AI with hyperscalers now investing over $700 billion in capex in FY26 to capitalize on the opportunities in the space," Daniel Ives, global head of technology at Wedbush Securities, said in a note Thursday.* In the same category of mega-caps, the five worst performers included Shell (SHEL), Exxon (XOM), and Chevron (CVX), down at least 5% each.* The US expects a response on Friday from Iran on a proposal to end the war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding he hopes "it's a serious offer," CNN reported.* According to President Donald Trump, the Iran ceasefire remains in effect, after US forces disabled two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers on Friday that were attempting to dock at an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the US blockade. Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz, an Associated Press report cited a shipping data company Thursday.

$^DJI$^IXIC$^SPX$CVX$ORCL$SHEL$XOM
Asia Markets

Technology Leads US Equity Indexes Higher Amid Strong Payrolls Growth

US equity indexes traded mixed midday Friday as technology topped sector charts and nonfarm payrolls grew almost twice as fast as expected, and Washington struck Iran's oil tankers while awaiting its peace proposal.The Nasdaq jumped 1.5% to 26,191.5 after touching a record 26,192.09 intraday. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to 7,397.2 after hitting an all-time high of 7,400.09 earlier in the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than 0.1% to 49,638.2.After technology, which advanced 2.5%, consumer discretionary and materials were the second-biggest gainers. Healthcare led the decliners.Nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, beating the 65,000 gain expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The increase in March was revised up by 7,000 to 185,000, while the fall in February was adjusted to 156,000 from 133,000, the BLS said."Payrolls were volatile through (the first quarter), largely due to temporary factors like inclement weather and a healthcare strike in California," Thomas Feltmate, senior economist at TD Economics, said in a report. "With those effects now in the rearview mirror, April provided as the first 'clean' read on hiring for 2026 and the underlying details were reasonably constructive, despite the recent surge in energy prices."US consumer sentiment continued to fall in May, with the main sentiment index dropping to an all-time low of 48.2 from April's 49.8, according to the University of Michigan's preliminary survey on Friday. The print marked the third consecutive monthly retreat. Wall Street expected a 49.5 print, according to a Bloomberg-compiled poll.The year-ahead inflation outlook dropped to 4.5% this month from 4.7% in April, according to the Michigan survey. The current outlook is still above the 3.4% reading reported in February, before the start of the Iran war. The five-year inflation forecast fell to 3.4% from 3.5%.Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down three basis points to 4.36% and the two-year rate lower by 2.2 basis points to 3.90%.In Middle East news, the US expects a response from Iran on a proposal to end the war on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding he hopes "it's a serious offer," CNN reported.Meanwhile, US forces disabled two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers on Friday that were attempting to dock at an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the US blockade, US Central Command said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter. According to President Donald Trump, a ceasefire is still in effect, CNN reported.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 1.1% to $95.84, and Brent crude futures increased 1.3% to $101.32.In precious metals, gold futures advanced 0.4% to $4,730.1, and silver futures climbed 1% to $80.96.In company news, Akamai Technologies (AKAM) reported Q1 non-GAAP net income above market expectations as sales rose. Chief Executive Tom Leighton said a US-based entity committed $1.8 billion over seven years for the company's cloud infrastructure services. Shares of Akamai soared 22%, the top gainer on the S&P 500.Monster Beverage (MNST) offers "outsized" long-term growth potential after reporting "very strong" Q1 and April performance, Morgan Stanley said in a Friday note. Shares of Monster Beverage surged 15%, among the biggest outperformers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

$^DJI$^IXIC$^SPX$AKAM$MNST