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US Equity Indexes Slide as Semiconductors Lead Technology Lower, Trump Warns of Iran Attack

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US equity indexes slumped following a sell-off in mega-cap semiconductor names, and as President Donald Trump's threat to attack Iran "very hard" sent crude oil higher.

The Nasdaq Composite dropped 2% to 25,169.50, with the S&P 500 down 1.6% to 7,266.99, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower by 1.9% to 49,918.78 on Wednesday. Industrials, technology, and materials were among the decliners, while energy and consumer staples led the gainers.

In the final leg of trading, Qualcomm (QCOM), Arm (ARM), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) were among the 10 worst-performing stocks in a category of companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion each, according to data compiled by Finviz.

Institutional demand for SpaceX (SPCX) shares is more than four times the amount available ahead of its initial public offering, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Banks are expected to stop taking orders after Wednesday's market close at 4 pm ET, with the IPO expected to price the following day and trading set to begin on the last day of the week, the report said.

In geopolitical news, the US will resume attacks on Iran on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, citing slow progress in talks for a deal to end the war, according to a report from CNN.

Iran is taking "too long to negotiate a deal," and that "now they will have to pay the price," Trump said Wednesday. The US launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran after the US president blamed Tehran for the crash of an American attack helicopter, and Iran fired back at countries in the region, according to a report from the Associated Press.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures jumped 2.5% to $90.44, and Brent crude futures advanced 2.1% to $93.36.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up two basis points to 4.55% and the two-year higher by 1.3 basis points to 4.14%.

In precious metals, gold futures slumped 4.4% to $4,094.2, and silver futures dropped 2.5% to $63.61.

In economic news, the US seasonally adjusted consumer price index, a measure of inflation, rose by 0.5% in May, as expected, following a 0.6% increase in April, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 0.2%, below the consensus estimate for a 0.3% increase. Core CPI rose by 0.4% in April.

In this third inflation print since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the data continue to show "virtually no sign" that energy inflation is filtering down into the core, outside of airfare, according to a note from Jefferies.

The year-over-year rates for overall and core CPI increased to 4.2% and 2.9%, respectively, from 3.8% and 2.8% in the previous month, the BLS data showed. The headline rate was the strongest since April 2023, according to data compiled by Finviz.

"Some pass-through could still be on the way in the data over the Summer and Fall, but the fact that businesses have been reticent to immediately pass on [the] price increases to their customers is significant," Jefferies Chief US Economist Thomas Simons wrote in the note.

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US Equity Indexes Decline as Technology Comes Under Selling Pressure

US equity indexes traded mixed but were off session lows amid a semiconductor-led decline in technology shares on Tuesday.The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1% to 25,678.82, with the S&P 500 down 0.3% to 7,386.65. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 50,872.11, after trading lower earlier in the day.Real estate, materials, and health care sectors led the gainers.Technology and energy were the only decliners, down 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively. Marvell Technology (MRVL), Arm (ARM), and Qualcomm (QCOM) declined by at least 5.7% each, the worst-performing three stocks among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion, according to data compiled by Finviz.SpaceX (SPCX), which is likely to go public on June 12, Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic, and Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI's upcoming public offerings may drag down broader stock markets, Research Affiliates founder Rob Arnott told Bloomberg News on Friday. Index funds will have to trim their current positions to make room for new entrants.The consumer price index for May is due on Wednesday.The strength in the CPI will largely come from energy, with gasoline up roughly 8% on the month, alongside idiosyncratic pressures, Jefferies said in a note Friday. "Overall, the firm print looks somewhat skewed by energy and one-offs, but still keeps the inflation backdrop sticky in the near term."In precious metals, gold futures dropped 1.8% to $4,283.6, and silver futures slumped 4.6% to $65.44.In energy markets, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 3.1% to $88.50, and Brent crude futures slid 2.7% to $91.72.A deal to end the war in the Middle East could be reached in "two to three days," with the Strait of Hormuz reopening "immediately" after the agreement is signed, President Donald Trump was cited as saying in a CNBC news report late Monday. The two countries are nearing a pact "that will not in any way allow nuclear weapons," Trump reportedly said."Oil gave back most of Monday's gains after Israel and Iran halted hostilities that had threatened to derail already fragile efforts to secure a broader peace agreement in the Middle East," Saxo Bank wrote in a note. "US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, maintained his typically optimistic tone, saying negotiations are in the 'final throes' of what he expects will be a successful deal."Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 3.2 basis points to 4.52%. The two-year rate fell 3.8 basis points to 4.12%.Further in economic news, US existing home sales increased to the highest level since December in May, the National Association of Realtors said. Sales rose 3.2% sequentially to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.17 million units last month.The goods and services deficit narrowed $700 million to $55.9 billion in April from March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis said. The consensus was for a $56.1 billion shortfall in a Bloomberg survey."Soaring oil exports are helping to narrow the US trade gap, with tariffs playing a more minor role in slowing imports," Sal Guatieri, BMO Capital Markets senior economist, said in a note. The export gain was driven by "surging crude sales" while computer hardware and microchips continued to fuel import growth, he said.

$^DJI$^IXIC$^SPX$AMZN$ARM$MRVL$MSFT$QCOM$SPCX
Asia Markets

US Equity Indexes Slump as Semiconductors Lead Big-Tech Slide

US equity indexes dived following a sharp sell-off in technology, led by semiconductors, in midday trading on Tuesday.The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.8% to 25,468.1, with the S&P 500 down 0.9% to 7,340.8, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower by 0.2% to 50,710.5.Technology and energy were standout decliners, down 3.1% and 1.9%, respectively. Marvell Technology (MRVL), Arm (ARM), Dell (DELL), and Qualcomm (QCOM) declined by at least 8% each, the worst-performing stocks among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion, according to data compiled by Finviz.The real estate, healthcare, and materials sectors led the gainers.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 3.4% to $88.22, and Brent crude futures dropped 2.8% to $91.60.A deal to end the war in the Middle East could be reached in "two to three days," with the Strait of Hormuz reopening "immediately" after the agreement is signed, President Donald Trump was cited as saying in a CNBC news report. The two countries are nearing a deal "that will not in any way allow nuclear weapons," Trump was cited as saying."Oil gave back most of Monday's gains after Israel and Iran halted hostilities that had threatened to derail already fragile efforts to secure a broader peace agreement in the Middle East," Saxo Bank wrote in a note. "US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, maintained his typically optimistic tone, saying negotiations are in the 'final throes' of what he expects will be a successful deal."Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down one basis point to 4.54%. The two-year rate fell 2.3 basis points to 4.14%.In precious metals, gold futures dropped 2% to $4,277.5, and silver futures slumped 5.2% to $65.04.US existing home sales increased to the highest level since December in May, the National Association of Realtors said. Sales rose 3.2% sequentially to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.17 million units last month."More Americans are on the move, with home sales rising to the highest level since December. This is great news for the housing market and the economy," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said. "Improving affordability is helping drive this momentum."The goods and services deficit narrowed $700 million to $55.9 billion in April from March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis said. The consensus was for a $56.1 billion shortfall in a Bloomberg survey."Soaring oil exports are helping to narrow the US trade gap, with tariffs playing a more minor role in slowing imports," Sal Guatieri, BMO Capital Markets senior economist, said in a note. The export gain was driven by "surging crude sales" while computer hardware and microchips continued to fuel import growth, he said.Wholesale inventories rose by 0.6% in April, revised up from a 0.5% increase in the advance reading and following a 1.5% rise in March. Analysts in a Bloomberg-compiled survey expected April inventories to be revised upward to a 0.6% increase.

$^DJI$^IXIC$^SPX$ARM$DELL$MRVL$QCOM
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Fall as US Equities Slump After Midday

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$^DJI$^EEM$^EXI$^FAS$^FAZ$^GLD$^IBB$^IGM$^IGV$^IPK$^IVV$^IWM$^IXIC$^IYE$^IYH$^IYJ$^IYK$^IYW$^PMR$^QQQ$^RTH$^SOXX$^SPX$^SPY$^UNG$^USO$^VDC$^VHT$^VIS$^XLE$^XLF$^XLI$^XLK$^XLP$^XLV$^XRT$^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH