Wall Street Extends Record Run as Nvidia Rally Boosts Tech Sector
Wall Street's equity benchmarks hit fresh peaks on Monday, buoyed by gains in the technology sector as Nvidia's (NVDA) shares rallied, while traders monitored mixed US-Iran peace talks signals.The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4% to 27,086.8, while the S&P 500 added 0.3% to 7,600. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% to settle at 51,078.9. All three indexes logged new closing highs on the first trading day of June.Barring tech and energy, all sectors were in the red, led by utilities.In company news, Nvidia shares jumped 6.3%, among the top gainers on the Dow. On Sunday, the tech bellwether announced a new artificial intelligence chip to power Microsoft (MSFT) Windows personal computers, called RTX Spark, entering the consumer PC processor market.Microsoft shares rose 2.3%, also one of the Dow's best performers.Dell (DELL) shares advanced nearly 11%, extending its rally into the eight day in a row. Morgan Stanley upgraded its rating on the computer maker's stock to equal-weight from underweight and raised its price target to $448 from $170. Dell is outperforming peers in navigating semiconductor supply shortages, the brokerage said.Salesforce (CRM) climbed 9.7% after the company said it will invest $2 billion in France through 2030. Separately, Salesforce said it agreed to buy Contentful, a "composable" content platform.S&P 500 companies' quarterly earnings growth held steady at nearly 28%, compared with financials reported up until a week ago, putting the index on track to close out the most recent cycle well above estimates, Oppenheimer Asset Management said in a note.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 5.7% at $92.35 a barrel in Monday late-afternoon trade, while Brent rose 4.5% to $95.25.Iran suspended talks with the US in retaliation to Israel's military action in Lebanon, CNBC reported Monday, citing Iranian state-affiliated outlet Tasnim. However, US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were continuing at "a rapid pace."In a separate social media post, Trump said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with both agreeing to stop the fighting."It unfortunately feels like we have moved further away from a conclusion, with Iran commenting mid-Friday that no agreement has been reached, and reports over the weekend indicating that (Trump) has asked to amend the prior framework," Tudor Pickering Holt said in a note. "These shifting conditions alongside continued kinetic skirmishes between the parties are likely to further erode Iranian trust as officials have already cited the fluidity of priorities as a point of friction with Iran making clear that nuclear dialogue is contingent on successful negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz."US Treasury yields were higher, with the 10-year rate up two basis points at 4.46%, and the two-year rate rising 3.3 basis points to 4.04%.In economic news, the US manufacturing sector expanded to its highest level in four years last month amid strength in demand and production, though price pressures remained elevated, two separate surveys by the Institute for Supply Management and S&P Global (SPGI) showed."Even with improving activity, the persistence of elevated cost pressures is likely to constrain the pace of expansion and keep policymakers cautious, limiting the scope for near-term monetary-policy easing," TD Economics said in a note.Gold was last down 1.8% at $4,512.30 per troy ounce, while silver fell 1% to $75.13 per ounce.
