FactSet Evening Market Recap

Major equity indices were mostly lower this week. The consumer discretionary space remained under some pressure with ongoing concerns about ongoing high energy prices and the potential to crowd out consumer spending. In macro news, a key focus this week was above-consensus core readings for both April CPI and PPI.

US equities were higher in Thursday trading, with the S&P and Nasdaq extending Wednesday's fresh ATHs. AI-related enthusiasm was the biggest driver to today's upside. It was fairly quiet elsewhere, with a few takeaways around Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi.

US equities closed mixed Wednesday as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set fresh record highs on continued strength in semis and big tech, though negative breadth and a hotter-than-expected April PPI print kept caution in focus. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined Trump on his China trip in a sentiment boost for AI names, while Alibaba, Nebius, and Tower Semiconductor stood out on earnings ahead of Cisco's print after the close.

U.S. equities closed mostly lower Tuesday, as semis, memory, and software led declines amid a broader risk-off tone driven by higher yields and rising oil. WTI crude jumped 4.2% back above $100/barrel on lingering US-Iran tensions, Treasuries weakened with the 30Y yield back above 5%, and a hotter-than-expected core April CPI print reinforced market pricing leaning toward modestly more Fed tightening through year-end.

US equities were higher in Monday trading, though ended off best levels. The Market still seems skeptical about a re-escalation of Middle East hostilities (particularly ahead of the Trump-Xi summit in China this week) despite the lack of traction surrounding diplomatic efforts. April existing home sales were a bit below consensus though remain in a tight YTD range.