The Nasdaq hit record highs on Monday, while the S&P 500 posted modest gains as technology stocks advanced, ahead of Nvidia's results. The market also assessed the likelihood of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
Among the S&P's major sectors, technology .SPLRCT led the pack, rising 1.32%, led by gains from chipmakers including Nvidia, which rose 2.49% ahead of its quarterly earnings report.
Investors are looking at Nvidia's earnings to see whether the artificial intelligence leader will maintain its rapid growth and advantage over rivals.
Several brokerages increased their targets for Nvidia, and Micron Technology (MU.O) shares rose 2.96% after Morgan Stanley upgraded its rating to "equal weight" from "underweight." The PHLX Semiconductor Index (.SOX) rose 2.15%.
Stephen Massocca, a senior vice president at San Francisco-based Wedbush Securities, said: "If Nvidia's results exceed expectations, it could cause a bit of a stir. However, given the high cost, significant growth is unlikely."
"A Fed rate cut could spark a rally, but current data doesn't yet support that scenario."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 196.82 points, or 0.49%, to 39,806.77. While the S&P 500 Index (.SPX) rose 4.86 points, or 0.09%, to 5,308.13, and the Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 108.91 points, or 0.65%. , closing at 16,794.87.
The Dow's decline came as JPMorgan (JPM.N) shares fell 4.5% after CEO Jamie Dimon expressed "cautious pessimism" and noted that the company has no plans to buy back shares at current prices.
A strong earnings season and signs of slowing inflation have reignited expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year, pushing major indexes to record levels. Let's remember that last week the Dow Jones index (.DJI) exceeded 40,000 points for the first time.
Fed officials' comments on Monday had little impact on interest rate forecasts, despite their insistence that inflation pressures were easing and emphasizing the importance of a cautious approach.
The minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy meeting are scheduled to be released on Wednesday. Markets estimate the chance of a rate cut of at least 25 basis points at the September meeting at 63.3%.
The latest stock market rally has raised concerns about lofty stock valuations, with the S&P 500 trading at a P/E ratio of 20.8, well above its historical average of 15.9, according to LSEG.
Deutsche Bank raised its end-2024 forecast for the S&P 500 to 5,500 from a previous 5,100, the highest expected level among leading brokerages. In turn, Morgan Stanley predicts that the index will reach 5,400 points by June 2025.
Shares of the Norwegian cruise line (NCLH.N) rose 7.56% after the company raised its full-year profit forecast. On the New York Stock Exchange, advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones by a ratio of 1.14 to 1. At the same time, on the Nasdaq, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by a ratio of 1.01 to 1.
The S&P 500 has recorded 58 new highs and four new lows over the past 52 weeks, while the Nasdaq has posted 222 new highs and 101 new lows. Trading volume on US exchanges reached 12.31 billion shares, exceeding the last 20 trading days' average of 11.82 billion.
Asian markets were lower and the dollar held steady on Tuesday ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting, which could provide clues about the timing and extent of a potential interest rate cut this year.
Gold prices retreated from Monday's record high and oil prices fell on concerns that U.S. interest rates could remain high for a long time due to the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to the recent decline in inflation.
Cryptocurrencies including ether and bitcoin hit new six-week highs amid speculation the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could approve a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) for ether.
MSCI's index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.9% after the Hang Seng retreated 1.9% from its multi-month high hit on Monday.
Japan's Nikkei (.N225), which tracks technology stocks, subsequently edged 0.1% lower after rising to record highs overnight.
Nasdaq futures fell 0.06%, while S&P 500 futures remained steady after rising 0.1% the previous day.
"Market sentiment continues to remain relatively stable with low implied volatility, supported by confidence in the possibility of US interest rate cuts this year," Kyle Rodda, senior markets analyst at Capital.com, said in an analysis.
In addition, record price levels for metals such as gold and copper "act as indicators of a pick-up in economic activity around the world, which in turn could act as a headwind for inflation," Rodda added.
Gold fell 0.3% to around $2,417 an ounce, after first rising to $2,450 overnight.
The dollar held its ground against major currencies, with the dollar index remaining at 104.62, recovering from a five-week low of 104.07 recorded on Thursday.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was little changed at 4.4433% after rising 1.7 basis points on Monday.
Brent crude fell 0.7% to $83.17 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 0.7% to $79.22 a barrel.
At the same time, after the announcement that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unexpectedly required exchanges wishing to trade Ethereum ETFs to update their regulatory documents, traders were actively purchasing cryptocurrencies. The development raised expectations that approval for trading could come as soon as this week, sending the market to new highs.
Bitcoin hit $71,957 while Ethereum rose to $3,720.80, both setting highs not seen since April 9.
"Expectations regarding the approval of the Ethereum ETF have significantly impacted market activity, adding to the already growing bullish trend in the cryptocurrency space. The move gained further momentum after lower-than-expected US CPI data was released last week," said IG analyst Tony Sycamore.
Sycamore predicts that Bitcoin could soon again reach its all-time high of $73,803.25 and possibly even surpass the $80,000 mark.
