U.S. equities advanced on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.30% as gains across technology, basic materials and healthcare sectors offset declines in consumer staples and financials.
The S&P 500 added 0.32% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.66%, while the S&P 500 VIX fell 2.52% to 15.45, indicating reduced market volatility. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by 1,527 to 1,172 on the New York Stock Exchange, with 104 unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 2,036 stocks rose against 1,380 that fell, with 179 unchanged.
Within the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Merck & Co led gains with a 3.84% advance to close at $156.45, reaching an all-time high. Goldman Sachs Group added 2.18% to $1,058.88, while NVIDIA rose 2.17% to $213.00. Decliners included Nike, down 3.12% to $39.48, and McDonald's, which fell 1.63% to $268.10.
In the S&P 500, Moderna surged 14.36% to $158.83, while Super Micro Computer gained 9.35% to $38.46 and CDW rose 7.74% to $142.09. Among laggards, Albemarle declined 5.89% to $133.18 and LyondellBasell fell 4.06% to $62.55.
The Nasdaq Composite saw outsized moves, with Xiao I Corp ADR jumping 186.28% to $1.31 and Netcapital Inc gaining 126.83% to $0.58. Conversely, Flash Sports & Media Holdings dropped 56.54% to $0.10, marking an all-time low, while OSR Holdings fell 53.40% to $0.12.
Commodities showed mixed performance, with gold futures for December delivery rising 0.47% to $4,719.74 per troy ounce. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery fell 5.09% to $80.68 per barrel, and Brent crude for November delivery declined 5.53% to $85.53 per barrel. The U.S. Dollar Index futures increased 0.11% to 98.82, while the USD/JPY pair advanced 0.06% to 159.20.
