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.
