Information technology stocks jumped nearly 4% at midday Monday.
Xero (ASX:XRO) gained more than 5% in recent trade.
On the flip side, the utilities sector struggled, shedding almost 3%.
Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) shares were down nearly 2% in recent trade.
US equity indexes were lower on Friday amid a sell-off in technology stocks and despite a decline in crude oil prices following the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement.* Among stocks with a market capitalization of over $200 billion, 16 out of the 20 worst-performing stocks were technology firms.* The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was revised up to 49.5 for June from 48.9 in the preliminary estimate, below expectations of 50.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The print was also above the final 44.8 in May.* August West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $2.34 to settle at $69.58 per barrel, while August Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $3.05 at $72.21.* Moderna (MRNA) shares rose nearly 12%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, after the company said it plans to launch clinical development of in vivo CAR-T candidate mRNA-6007 in 2027. Multiple analysts also raised their price targets for the company.* Onsemi (ON) shares were down roughly 24%, the worst performer on the S&P 500, after the chipmaker agreed to acquire semiconductor company Synaptics (SYNA) in a deal valued at about $7 billion.
(Updates with index/price moves data, and political news from the first paragraph.)US stocks traded lower as technology raced to the bottom of sector charts, while crude oil traded at levels last seen before the Iran war after a "framework agreement" was signed between Israel and Lebanon.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4% to 25,263.4 ahead of Friday's close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.1% to 51,847.5, while the S&P 500 was down 0.2% to 7,347.4.Technology and industrials led the four declining sectors intraday. Health care, consumer discretionary, and consumer staples were among the top gainers.In a category of stocks with a market capitalization of over $200 billion, 16 out of the 20 worst-performing stocks were technology firms. Western Digital (WDC), Seagate Technology (STX), and Sandisk (SNDK) were the steepest decliners, down by at least 8.2% each. In the sliding technology shares, more than half were semiconductor companies.In geopolitical news, negotiators from Lebanon and Israel signed a "framework agreement" on the handover of areas in Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon after US-mediated talks in Washington, DC., according to a Friday report from Al Jazeera, a Middle East news broadcaster.This comes as Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the UN's International Maritime Organization, said 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent slumped 4.5% to $71.88 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate retreated 3.8% to $69.19 per barrel, extending their declines to the lowest since the beginning of the Iran war.
(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/political news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid gains in consumer discretionary and as crude oil prices extended declines to levels seen before the Iran war.The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.3% to 25,428.3 after midday Friday. The S&P 500 edged up 0.2% to 7,372.4, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.3% to 52,049.7.Technology and industrials led the four declining sectors intraday. Health care, consumer discretionary, and real estate were among the top gainers.IBM's (IBM) technology capable of producing chips smaller than one nanometer represents a "major moment" for the semiconductor industry amid increasing artificial intelligence workloads, Wedbush Securities said in a note on Friday. IBM has created what it calls the "world's first sub-1 nanometer chip technology," the company said Thursday. IBM shares jumped 4.1%, making it the Dow's leader.Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI is leaning toward delaying its initial public offering until next year, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing three people involved in the company's deliberations. The ChatGPT maker hired bankers and lawyers, eyeing an IPO as soon as Q3 or Q4, with CEO Sam Altman pushing for a $1 trillion valuation, according to the report. Shares of Microsoft advanced 5%, among the Dow's top gainers.In geopolitical news, 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers have been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since Tuesday, said Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the UN's International Maritime Organization, according to a report from Al Jazeera.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent fell 4.2% to $72.13 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate 3.9% to $69.11 per barrel, extending their declines to the lowest since the beginning of the Iran war.