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Semiconductor Sell-Off Pushes S&P 500, Nasdaq Lower in Midday Trading
US equity indexes were mixed in Tuesday's midday trading, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite sliding, as slumping semiconductor shares sent technology lower and worsening Middle East geopolitics lifted crude oil futures.The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.3% to 24,564.5, and the S&P 500 slid 0.8% to 7,120.7. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, home mostly to old economy shares, climbed 0.1% to 49,190.3.Industrials and materials were among the three worst performers, while energy and consumer staples led the gainers intraday.Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI recently missed its own targets for new users and revenue, The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar expressed concern that OpenAI may not be able to pay for future computing contracts if sales fail to grow fast enough, the news report said, citing the people.Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, the worst performers were largely semiconductor names, including Arm Holdings (ARM), Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research (LRCX), Arista Networks (ANET), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), according to data compiled by Finviz.Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its more expanded version, OPEC+, effective May 1, the Emirates News Agency reported.This comes as Iran's latest proposal to end the war in the Middle East has still not won President Donald Trump's backing, leaving the deadly conflict in a continuing state of deadlock, Reuters said in a Tuesday report, citing an unnamed US official.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures jumped 3.6% to $99.80, and Brent crude futures advanced 2.6% to $111.08."Oil extended its rally ... amid no signs of progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where US and Iranian blockades have reduced daily transits to near zero," Saxo Bank said in a note. "Warnings over the severity of the global supply squeeze continue to intensify, with tightness in refined fuel markets already pushing diesel and jet fuel prices toward USD200 per barrel."In precious metals, gold futures dropped 2.5% to $4,575.1, and silver futures slumped 3.7% to $72.30, as higher crude oil prices raised inflation concerns. Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 3.4 basis points to 4.37% and the two-year climbing 4.1 basis points to 3.85%.In economic news, the Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence rose to 92.8 in April from an upwardly revised 92.2 in March, compared with the 89.0 print expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The poll for preliminary results was conducted from April 1 to April 22, which included the temporary two-week ceasefire in the Iran war."Consumer appraisals of current and expected business conditions declined moderately compared to last month," said Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board. "This was offset by modest improvements in consumers' perceptions of the labor market, both current and expected, as well as income expectations, which were slightly more optimistic in April."The Richmond Fed's monthly manufacturing index rose to 3 in April from 0 in March, above expectations for 1 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. Other regional manufacturing data already released have suggested expansion, except for the Dallas Fed's measure.
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