(Updates with latest market prices and developments.)
US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday, led by gains in the technology sector, and poised to close out a winning quarter and first half of the year.
The Nasdaq Composite was up 1.4% at 26,172.6 after midday Tuesday -- the last trading session of June -- while the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 7,495.2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 52,362.8, following a record-high close in the previous session.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were headed for their best quarter in six years, while the Dow was on track for its best quarterly gain since 2022, news outlets reported. The Dow was poised for its best first-half performance since 2021, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were also higher, CNBC reported.
Among sectors, tech paced the gainers intraday Tuesday with a 2.2% jump, while real estate saw the steepest decline.
Within tech, chip-related stocks mainly led gains, with Intel (INTC) up 7.7%, among the top performers on the S&P 500. Nvidia (NVDA) rose 1.7%, the third-best performer on the Dow. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Sandisk (SNDK), and Marvell Technology (MRVL) were also notable gainers on the S&P 500.
AeroVironment (AVAV) shares jumped nearly 19% as the drone maker overnight reported stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results and issued an upbeat full-year revenue outlook at the midpoint.
Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) shares were down 6.9% intraday Tuesday, the worst performer on the S&P 500.
Sportswear giant Nike (NKE) and beer and wine company Constellation Brands (STZ) are expected to release their latest quarterly results after the closing bell Tuesday.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 1.4% at $69.75 a barrel intraday, while Brent slipped 0.3% to $72.95.
WTI and Brent were headed for a steep decline for the month of June as oil prices sold off after the US and Iran agreed to a memorandum of understanding to end their war. In May, crude prices tumbled about 17%.
"Oil prices traded within a relatively tight range near recent lows while remaining on track for their biggest quarterly decline since the pandemic," Saxo Bank said in a report Tuesday.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are in Doha, will meet Qatari mediators, not Iranian officials, CNN reported, citing Qatar's Foreign Ministry.
US Treasury yields were higher intraday, with the 10-year rate up 3.3 basis points at 4.41% and the two-year rate rising 2.2 basis point to 4.14%.
In economic news, US consumer confidence edged higher in June as falling oil prices amid an extended US-Iran ceasefire eased inflation fears, the Conference Board said.
US home price growth accelerated annually in April, though the value of homes continued to deteriorate in real terms as high inflation outpaced price gains, S&P Global (SPGI) division S&P Dow Jones Indices said.
Gold was little changed at $4,039.40 per troy ounce, while silver climbed 2.1% to $59.86 per ounce.
