Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as SpaceX Hits Nasdaq, Deal Reportedly Reached on Proposed Hormuz Route
(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed as declines in SpaceX (SPCX) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) restrained the Nasdaq Composite amid reports that Iran and Oman have agreed on a proposed route through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas flows.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 26,454.2, and the S&P 500 was little changed at 7,737.4 after midday Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% to 54,523.5. Communication services, energy and utilities led decliners. Materials and healthcare topped gainers.SpaceX (SPCX) reported Q2 capital expenditures of $18.37 billion, up from $2.83 billion a year ago, taking the shine off a narrower-than-expected loss and above-consensus revenue growth. Shares slumped 11%, the worst performer on the Nasdaq.SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on the company's first-ever earnings call that it will build AI services exclusively on Nvidia's (NVDA) systems. Shares of Nvidia jumped 4.3%, one of the top gainers on the Nasdaq and the Dow.Shares of Advanced Micro Devices dropped 6%, one of the steepest decliners on the Nasdaq, after analysts, in a post-earnings conference call late Tuesday, raised questions about the chipmaker's gross margin trajectory. The company reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue above market expectations, and Q3 sales guidance beat consensus.The pace of data center AI ramp is "very important because, from [a] revenue opportunity perspective, we see [a] large incremental revenue opportunity from data center AI," AMD Chief Financial Officer Jean Hu said on the call, according to a FactSet transcript. "Once it ramps, not only [will] it add tremendous revenue for the company, but also gross profit, even though the gross margin is slightly below corporate average."Meanwhile, Iran said it has reached a deal with Oman on a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, a potential step toward a reopening of the waterway for energy supplies, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.A joint statement from the two countries is in the final drafting stage, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was cited as saying Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. Talks between Iran and Oman are "forward-moving," and an agreement would be struck "if certain third parties do not obstruct this process," Baghaei was cited as saying, according to the report.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 1.5% to $74.65 a barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 0.7% to $78.79 a barrel.Gold futures surged 3.6% to $4,302.3, and silver futures advanced 3.3% to $62.23.In economic news, the Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to 54.1 in July from 54.0 in June, compared with expectations for 54.5 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The reading suggests faster expansion, in line with other measures but in contrast with the Richmond Fed print signaling contraction.The S&P Global US services index was revised upwards to 54.6 in July from the 53.6 flash reading, compared with expectations for no revision in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The July index is above the 51.2 reading in June and is the highest for nine months.ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 44,000 increase in July, below expectations in a Bloomberg-compiled poll for a gain of 65,000. The July increase followed a downwardly revised 95,000 jobs increase in June.US Treasury yields were little changed to mixed after midday Wednesday. The 10-year yield leaned less than one basis point lower to 4.62%, while the two-year was steady at 4.19%.
