Asia Markets
Update: Technology Slide Pushes Nasdaq, S&P 500 Lower
(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed as a sell-off in chipmakers pushed technology sharply lower, while UnitedHealth's (UNH) strong Q2 results helped lift the price-weighted Dow Jones Industrial Average.The Nasdaq declined 0.9% to 26,021.1, and the S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 7,548.3 after midday Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by less than 0.1% to 52,691.5.Consumer staples, healthcare, and real estate topped the gainers, while technology slumped, down 1.9% intraday.Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) slid 3.1% after the firm earmarked an additional $100 billion to increase its chipmaking capacity in the US, raising its total planned investment to $265 billion, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing a US official. Taiwan Semiconductor also reported Q2 results on Thursday, with year-over-year earnings and net revenue rising and Q3 sales guidance beating consensus.Among stocks with market capitalization exceeding $200 billion each, 15 out of the bottom 20 names were from the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Half of the decliners were semiconductor firms, the data showed. The worst performer was SanDisk (SNDK), down 11%.In company news, UnitedHealth's shares jumped 3.1%, making it one of the Dow's top gainers, after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue and raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook.In geopolitical news, the Iranian military warns "all infrastructure in the region will be crushed under steel blows" if the US carries out its threat to attack Iran's civilian sites, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported. Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the US strikes Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing three sources.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate fell 0.3% to $79.35 a barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent slipped 0.1% to $84.83 a barrel.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 2.8 basis points to 4.57% and the two-year climbing four basis points to 4.16%.In precious metal markets, gold futures retreated 1.4% to $3,995.1, and silver futures dropped 2% to $56.32.In economic news, US retail sales rose by 0.2% in June, as expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll and following the previous month's revised 1.0% increase. Excluding a 1.9% increase in motor vehicle sales, retail sales were down 0.2% compared with an expected 0.1% decrease. That followed a 1.0% increase in May. Removing both motor vehicles and a 5.3% decline in gasoline station sales, retail sales were up 0.4% in June after a 0.8% increase in May.US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 208,000 in the week ended July 11 from an upwardly revised 216,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a level of 217,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The four-week moving average fell by 4,750 to 214,250.Pending home sales fell by 5.4% in June, well below the 0.5% decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:30 am ET and following a 3.5% increase in May, according to the National Association of Realtors. The monthly sales index was down 0.3% from June 2025."The highest mortgage rates in nearly a year and the record-high national median home price together are contributing to a tepid housing market that is especially difficult for first-time homebuyers," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said. "However, job gains can help support housing demand."
Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$SNDK$TSM$UNH
