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Mega-cap tech comes out strong in positive day for Nasdaq
31-Aug-20 16:15 ET
Dow -233.82 at 28420.05, Nasdaq +79.82 at 11775.46, S&P -7.70 at 3500.31

https://www.briefing.com/stock-market-update

[BRIEFING.COM] Mega-cap tech powered the Nasdaq Composite to a 0.7% gain and to new record highs on Monday. The S&P 500 set an intraday record high but declined 0.2% amid relative weakness in the broader market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8%, and the Russell 2000 fell 1.0%.

There was an absence of new macro developments, so the same tech-related stocks continued to set the winning pace at the expense of the cyclical stocks within the energy (-2.2%), materials (-1.5%), financials (-1.2%), and industrials (-1.2%) sectors. Declining issues outpaced advancing issues by more than a 2:1 margin at the NYSE.

Apple (AAPL 129.04, +4.23, +3.4%) and Tesla (TSLA 498.32, +55.64, +12.6%) rose 3% and 12%, respectively, as investors continued to bid shares higher following their stock splits today. Amazon (AMZN 3450.96, +49.16, +1.5%) gained 1.5% after its drone delivery unit received FAA certification.

AAPL and AMZN carried the S&P 500 information technology (+0.4%) and consumer discretionary (+0.2%) sectors into the green, but the health care (+0.3%) and utilities (+0.3%) sectors also put in a positive performance.

Interestingly, the CBOE Volatility Index climbed 15.0% to 26.41, as investors assumed some protection against a possible downturn in equities. The popular view is that a modest correction could come in September after a strong two-month performance in the S&P 500. The benchmark index ended August with an impressive 7.0% gain.

Separately, CNBC reported that a TikTok deal could be announced as soon as tomorrow. Front-runners Microsoft (MSFT 225.53, -3.38, -1.5%), Walmart (WMT 138.85, -1.45, -1.0%), and Oracle (ORCL 57.22, -0.66, -1.1%) declined at least 1.0% today.

U.S. Treasuries saw modest gains amid the underlying weakness in the stock market. The 2-yr yield declined two basis points to 0.13%, and the 10-yr yield declined four basis points to 0.69%. The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.2% to 92.19. WTI crude futures declined 0.8%, or $0.35, to $42.62/bbl.

Investors did not receive any notable economic data on Monday. Looking ahead, investors will receive the ISM Manufacturing Index for August and Construction Spending for July on Tuesday.

Nasdaq Composite +31.2% YTD
S&P 500 +8.3% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average -0.4% YTD
Russell 2000 -6.4% YTD