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Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Technology Slide Undermines Top Sector Gainers

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(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes traded mixed after midday Wednesday, with communication services topping sector charts while technology chipped away, and as crude oil declined.

The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.2% to 26,153.2, after ending Q2 with gains previously seen six years ago. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% to 7,505.1, extending gains after closing Q2 with gains that were the highest since Q2 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3% to 52,466.5, after touching a fresh record earlier in the session. The Dow capped the strongest first half in five years on Tuesday.

In company news, Meta Platforms (META) is building a cloud infrastructure business to sell access to AI computing power and models, setting up a new area of competition with Amazon (AMZN) Web Services, Microsoft (MSFT) Azure, and Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google Cloud, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Meta surged 9.7%, one of the S&P 500's and the Nasdaq's top gainers.

On Wednesday, the US and Iran held indirect technical talks in Doha as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official told Reuters.

The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 2.3% to $71.31 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate retreated 1.7% to $68.34 per barrel.

US commercial crude oil stocks, excluding inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, slumped by 3.8 million barrels in the week ended June 26 after a 6.1-million-barrel drop in the previous week, a steeper dive than the 2.2 million-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh said price risks have dissipated in recent weeks, while repeating his determination to ease inflation to the US central bank's 2% target, Bloomberg reported.

"Expectations of inflation over the first four weeks of this period have come down, [and] inflation risks have come down," Warsh said Wednesday at the European Central Bank's annual Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal, according to Bloomberg.

Gold futures advanced 1.2% to $4,084.6, and silver futures climbed 1.6% to $60.41.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year jumping 4.7 basis points to 4.47%. The two-year rate climbed 2.1 basis points to 4.16%.

In economic news, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said companies planned to cut 45,849 jobs in June, down from 97,006 in May and 47,999 a year ago. The largest layoff counts in June were in the technology and services sectors.

ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 98,000 increase in June, below expectations for an increase of 120,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

The Institute for Supply Management's US manufacturing index fell to 53.3 in June from 54.0 in May, compared with forecasts for 53.9 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll, indicating a slower pace of expansion.

The S&P Global US manufacturing index for June was revised down to 53.9 from the flash reading of 55.7, versus expectations for an unrevised reading in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

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Update: S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite Close Strongest Quarter in Six Years Amid Gains in Technology, Decline in Crude Oil

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite clocking the biggest quarterly advances since Q2 2020 amid semiconductor-led gains in technology and declining crude oil prices.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.5% to 26,213.72, and the S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,499.36 on Tuesday, June 30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.3% to 52,319.20, capping the strongest first half in five years.Technology was the standout gainer at the close, followed by industrials. Real estate, consumer staples, and utilities led the decliners. Technology is also the top sector over the past three months, according to data compiled by Finviz.Of the top 20 stocks with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, 17 were from the tech sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Within those tech names, the majority were either semiconductors or semiconductor equipment and materials. The top gainer was SanDisk (SNDK), trading up 11%.In geopolitical news, US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are in Doha for meetings with Qatari mediators, according to CNN. Technical talks are ongoing, but there are currently no high-level meetings between the US and Iran, CNN reported, citing Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson.Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf said the country will not begin negotiations for a final agreement before the implementation of clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of the memorandum of understanding signed with the US earlier this month, Al Jazeera reported. These clauses involve cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, removal of the US naval blockade, safe passage of commercial vessels, waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, and the release of frozen Iranian funds.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent slipped 0.3% to $72.92 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate fell 1% to $70.07 per barrel. Both crude types traded above $110 a barrel at the height of the US-Iran war.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year jumping 7.3 basis points to 4.45%. The two-year rate climbed 4.9 basis points to 4.16%.Gold futures edged 0.2%% lower to $4,031.7, while silver futures dropped 2.3% to $59.52.In economic news, US job openings rose to 7.594 million in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, above the 7.296 million openings expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey and up from the 7.585 million openings reported in April.The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence rose to 91.2 in June from a downwardly revised 90.6 in May, below the 94.4 expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.The Institute for Supply Management's Chicago PMI fell to 56.7 in June from 62.7 in May, compared with the expected 55.1 reading in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.In company news, Air Products and Chemicals (APD) said it is finalizing an agreement for renewable ammonia from a green hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia. Shares of Air Products jumped 8%, among the top gainers on the S&P 500.Pacira Biosciences (PCRX) has agreed to sell its Iovera cold-therapy pain relief system to Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) for up to $140 million. Zimmer shares dropped 5.6%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$APD$PCRX$SNDK
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Update: US Equity Indexes Rise as Semiconductors Lift Technology; Crude Oil Slips as Trump's Envoys in Qatar for Indirect Talks

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Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMD$APD$PCRX$SNDK$ZBH
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Exchange-Traded Funds Point Higher as US Equities Advance After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) rose 1.6%.US equity indexes rose amid semiconductor-led gains in technology and a decline in crude oil after midday Tuesday.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) dropped 0.1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) fell 0.2%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 2.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) rose 2.1%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 1.8%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) gained 4.1%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was up 3.7%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) fell fractionally. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down less than 0.1%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), rose 0.1%.CommoditiesCrude oil slipped 1.2%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) fell 1%. Natural gas climbed 4.5%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was up 4.7%.Gold on Comex rose 0.1%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) added 0.3%. Silver was up 2.5%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 2.5% higher.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) lost 1.2%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 1.1%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) was down 0.9%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.3%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) rose fractionally, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) eased 0.7%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 1%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) dipped 1%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was down 0.8%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 0.5%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) added 1%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) dropped 3.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) fell 3.1%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 3.6%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 4% lower.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH