Market close overview
U.S. stock benchmarks ended Friday's session in positive territory. At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.58% to record a new all-time high. The S&P 500 finished up 0.37%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.19%.
Leading and lagging names on the Dow
The strongest contributors among Dow constituents included Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), which climbed 5.64% - a gain of 6.54 points - to finish at 122.42. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) added 2.13%, gaining 3.76 points to close at 180.07. Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) rose 1.86% or 2.20 points to end at 120.40.
On the downside for the index, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) fell 1.90% or 4.18 points to close at 215.33. Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) declined 0.88% or 1.07 points to 120.27, while Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) slipped 0.80% or 2.14 points to 266.32.
S&P 500 movers
Within the S&P 500, the session's largest percentage gains were posted by several hardware and enterprise names. Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) surged 16.77% to close at 295.19. HP Inc (NYSE:HPQ) rose 15.27% to settle at 25.25, and NetApp Inc (NASDAQ:NTAP) gained 12.44% to finish at 139.36.
The weakest S&P members included Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ:TTWO), which fell 4.42% to 227.55. Universal Health Services Inc (NYSE:UHS) lost 2.86% to end at 157.80, and Charter Communications Inc (NASDAQ:CHTR) dropped 2.52% to 145.15.
Notable Nasdaq activity
On the Nasdaq Composite, a small group of names recorded extreme percentage moves. U BX Technology Ltd (NASDAQ:UBXG) spiked 2,318.60% to 3.12. iPower Inc (NASDAQ:IPW) climbed 747.22% to 4.27, and Akari Therapeutics PLC (NASDAQ:AKTX) jumped 253.70% to 18.18.
Conversely, Global Mofy Metaverse Ltd (NASDAQ:GMM) plunged 72.10% to 0.27. Aditx Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ADTX) fell 58.11% to 0.51, and NervGen Pharma Corp (NASDAQ:NGEN) dropped 43.48% to 2.08.
Breadth and index-level notes
Rising issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,576 to 1,151, with 101 stocks unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1,855 rose and 1,529 fell, while 196 closed flat.
Several stocks moved to milestone levels in the session. Dell Technologies Inc reached an all-time high, rising 16.77% or 42.39 points to 295.19. NetApp Inc climbed to a five-year high, gaining 12.44% or 15.42 points to 139.36. Cisco Systems Inc also reached an all-time high, up 1.86% or 2.20 points to 120.40.
On the low end, Global Mofy Metaverse Ltd fell to an all-time low of 0.27, down 72.10% or 0.70 points. Aditx Therapeutics Inc also touched an all-time low at 0.51, down 58.11% or 0.71 points.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index - which reflects implied volatility of S&P 500 options - was down 0.36% to 16.70, marking a new three-month low.
In commodities, Gold Futures for June delivery fell 0.68% or 30.93 to $4,511.57 a troy ounce. Crude oil for July delivery eased 0.18% or 0.17 to $96.18 a barrel, while the July Brent contract rose 0.61% or 0.63 to $103.21 a barrel.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was reported unchanged at 0.15% to 1.16, and USD/JPY rose 0.13% to 159.16. The US Dollar Index Futures ticked up 0.15% to 99.25.
Session takeaways
The close reflected selective strength across consumer goods, healthcare and industrial-related names that helped lift the major indexes, while a handful of equities exhibited extreme volatility on the Nasdaq. Volatility as measured by the VIX eased to a recent low, even as commodities and currencies showed mixed movement.