Tech-Led Rally Pushes Nasdaq to 1.68% Gain as Markets Close Strong First Half
· Market News · MarketsFN Team
Tech-Led Rally Pushes Nasdaq to 1.68% Gain as Markets Close Strong First Half
US equities closed higher on the final trading day of June, capping a robust first half of 2026 with the Nasdaq 100 leading gains at +1.68% to 30,276.35. The rally was fueled by AI optimism after AWS announced a $1 billion investment in customer-facing AI solutions, while Nike's earnings beat offset concerns about its China sales decline.
🇺🇸 US Session Overview
The S&P 500 climbed 0.79% to 7,499.36, with tech and consumer discretionary sectors outperforming. The Dow Jones edged up 0.26% to 52,319.20, held back by more defensive sectors, while the Russell 2000 gained 0.46%, signaling modest risk appetite in small caps. Tech stocks benefited from AWS's AI push and Anthropic's drug discovery program announcement, while Nike's post-market earnings (+3% after hours) lifted sentiment despite a 12% drop in China revenue.
📅 Economic Calendar Highlights
US data showed mixed signals: JOLTS job openings rose to 7.594M (vs. 7.280M forecast), but consumer confidence dipped to 91.2 (94.4 expected). The Chicago PMI cooled to 56.7 from 62.7 but beat estimates. Internationally, UK Q1 GDP met expectations at 0.6% QoQ, while German CPI surprised to the downside at -0.3% MoM (2.3% YoY), easing ECB hike fears.
📋 Earnings Spotlight
Nike (NKE) reported after the close, beating EPS and revenue estimates despite China weakness. Constellation Brands (STZ) and Progress Software (PRGS) also released results post-market, with STZ shares initially rising 1.8% on strong beverage sales.
💱 FX & Commodities
The dollar strengthened against the yen (USD/JPY +0.48% to 162.56) but weakened versus European currencies (EUR/USD +0.39%, GBP/USD +0.52%). Silver surged 2.68% to $59.74, outpacing gold's 0.29% gain, while WTI crude dipped 0.90% amid demand concerns. Bitcoin fell 2.44% to $58,669 as crypto markets lagged equities.
As Asian markets prepare to open, focus shifts to China's Caixin PMI and the RBA's policy decision. Traders will watch whether tech momentum extends into Q3, with Fed rate expectations remaining a key driver after today's softer consumer confidence data.
🇺🇸 US Indices — Session Close
| Index | Price | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,499.36 | ▲ +58.93 | ▲ +0.79% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 30,276.35 | ▲ +501.60 | ▲ +1.68% |
| Dow Jones | 52,319.20 | ▲ +136.46 | ▲ +0.26% |
| Russell 2000 | 3,024.36 | ▲ +13.94 | ▲ +0.46% |
💱 FX Majors
| Pair | Rate | Change % |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 1.143 | ▲ +0.39% |
| GBP/USD | 1.3266 | ▲ +0.52% |
| USD/JPY | 162.56 | ▲ +0.48% |
| AUD/USD | 0.6925 | ▲ +0.41% |
| USD/CHF | 0.808 | ▼ -0.26% |
🛢️ Commodities & Crypto
| Asset | Price (USD) | Change % |
|---|---|---|
| Gold (XAU/USD) | 4,034.10 | ▲ +0.29% |
| Silver (XAG/USD) | 59.74 | ▲ +2.68% |
| Crude Oil (WTI) | 70.11 | ▼ -0.90% |
| Brent Oil | 73.44 | ▲ +0.40% |
| Natural Gas | 3.26 | ▲ +2.42% |
| Bitcoin | 58,669.11 | ▼ -2.44% |
| Ethereum | 1,576.32 | ▼ -2.10% |
📋 Today's Earnings
| Ticker | Company | Timing | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| HELP | Helus Pharma Inc | BMO | 330760000.0 |
| NKE | Nike Inc | AMC | 60790000000.0 |
| PRGS | Progress Software Corp | AMC | 1410000000.0 |
| STZ | Constellation Brands Inc | AMC | 23860000000.0 |
📅 Economic Calendar
All times in UTC — Actual highlighted where available
| Time | Currency | Event | Imp. | Actual | Forecast | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:30 | CNY | Manufacturing PMI (Jun) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 50.3 | 50.1 | 50.0 |
| 06:00 | GBP | GDP (QoQ) (Q1) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 06:00 | GBP | GDP (YoY) (Q1) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| 12:00 | EUR | German CPI (MoM) (Jun) | 🔴🔴🔴 | -0.3% | 0.0% | -0.2% |
| 13:45 | USD | Chicago PMI (Jun) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 56.7 | 55.7 | 62.7 |
| 14:00 | USD | CB Consumer Confidence (Jun) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 91.2 | 94.4 | 90.6 |
| 14:00 | USD | JOLTS Job Openings (May) | 🔴🔴🔴 | 7.594M | 7.280M | 7.585M |
| 01:30 | CNY | Chinese Composite PMI (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | 50.6 | 50.5 | |
| 01:30 | CNY | Non-Manufacturing PMI (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | 50.2 | 49.9 | 50.1 |
| 06:00 | GBP | Business Investment (QoQ) (Q1) | 🟡🟡 | 0.9% | 0.7% | -3.0% |
| 06:00 | GBP | Current Account (Q1) | 🟡🟡 | -22.1B | -22.2B | -27.2B |
| 06:00 | EUR | German Retail Sales (MoM) (May) | 🟡🟡 | 1.1% | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 06:45 | EUR | French Consumer Spending (MoM) (May) | 🟡🟡 | 0.5% | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 06:45 | EUR | French CPI (MoM) (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | -0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 06:45 | EUR | French HICP (MoM) (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | -0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 07:00 | CHF | KOF Leading Indicators (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | 101.2 | 99.0 | 98.6 |
| 07:55 | EUR | German Unemployment Change (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | -1K | 7K | -12K |
| 07:55 | EUR | German Unemployment Rate (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% |
| 11:30 | BRL | Gross Debt-to-GDP ratio (MoM) (May) | 🟡🟡 | 81.1% | 80.2% | |
| 12:00 | EUR | German CPI (YoY) (Jun) | 🟡🟡 | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| 12:30 | CAD | GDP (MoM) (Apr) | 🟡🟡 | 0.5% | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 12:31 | CAD | GDP (MoM) (May) | 🟡🟡 | 0.1% | 0.5% | |
| 13:00 | USD | S&P/CS HPI Composite - 20 n.s.a. (YoY) (Apr) | 🟡🟡 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| 13:00 | USD | S&P/CS HPI Composite - 20 n.s.a. (MoM) (Apr) | 🟡🟡 | 1.0% | 1.1% | |
| 01:30 | AUD | RBA Meeting Minutes | 🟡🟡 | — | ||
| 08:40 | EUR | ECB's Elderson Speaks | 🟡🟡 | — | ||
| 09:40 | EUR | ECB's Schnabel Speaks | 🟡🟡 | — | ||
| 11:30 | EUR | ECB's Lane Speaks | 🟡🟡 | — | ||
| 13:30 | EUR | ECB's Lane Speaks | 🟡🟡 | — | ||
| 20:30 | USD | API Weekly Crude Oil Stock | 🟡🟡 | — | -0.765M | |
| 23:50 | JPY | Tankan All Big Industry CAPEX (Q2) | 🟡🟡 | — | 3.3% | |
| 23:50 | JPY | Tankan Big Manufacturing Outlook Index (Q2) | 🟡🟡 | — | 13 | 14 |
| 23:50 | JPY | Tankan Large Manufacturers Index (Q2) | 🟡🟡 | — | 16 | 17 |
| 23:50 | JPY | Tankan Large Non-Manufacturers Index (Q2) | 🟡🟡 | — | 36 | 36 |
Report published: June 30, 2026 — 22:21 CET
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