Today At A Glance:

U.S. stocks closed mixed on July 15, with inflation data showing June CPI rising to 2.7%, which cooled hopes for imminent Fed rate cuts. The Dow fell about 1%, weighed by broad-market weakness, while the S&P 500 slipped ~0.4%, pressured by defensive and materials sectors. The Nasdaq bucked the trend, gaining ~0.2% and hitting a new record, powered by Nvidia and other chipmakers on news of resumed AI-chip sales to China. Financial names like BlackRock dropped sharply—BlackRock itself fell nearly 6%—as bank earnings and rising yields stung investor sentiment. Breadth was narrow: only 48 of 503 S&P 500 stocks closed higher despite strong megacap tech leadership, raising concerns about market fragility.

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI): Opened at 44,459.65, closed at 44,023.29, down approximately 1.0%.
• Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC): Opened near 20,640 (intraday dip), closed at a record 20,677.80, up 0.2%.
• S&P 500 (^GSPC): Opened around ~6,268, closed at 6,243.76, down ~0.4%.

Gainers Of Note:

• Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA): A leading AI-chip designer; rallied ~4–5% on news it resumed sales of its top AI chips in China.
• Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD): Another major chipmaker; climbed ~6.4% thanks to China‑AI momentum.
• Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM): Fabricator of semiconductors; gained on AI‑chip demand and related supply‑chain positivity.

Losers Of Note:

• BlackRock (NYSE: BLK): Asset manager; fell 5.9% after underperforming peers and higher yields dented sentiment.
• State Street (NYSE: STT): Financial services firm; dropped ~7.3% post‑earnings amid cost pressures reducing net interest income.
• Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO): Network hardware; saw elevated activity (~3‑4 M shares) as tech traders rebalanced after Nvidia/AMD moves.

Active Traders Of Note:

• Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH): CRM software provider; saw ~14 M shares traded—up ~315% from prior day—as Cantor Fitzgerald’s overweight rating sparked activity.
• Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON): Body‑cam and public safety tech; ~$279 M in trade volume, ranking among top‑400 activity likely from institutional repositioning.
• Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY): eVTOL aircraft developer; surged in volume following speculative interest (top gainers list included JOBY up ~x%).

Looking Forward:

With inflation cooling but still above the Fed’s 2% target, investors will closely monitor Fed Chair Powell’s testimony this week for clues on potential September rate cuts. Continued strength in AI‑related semiconductor stocks like Nvidia and AMD may offer leadership, but narrow market breadth suggests risk if broader sectors struggle. Expect choppy trading ahead of upcoming economic releases—especially PPI and housing data—with volatility likely elevated but opportunities in tech and selective financials.

Note: The stock performance summaries are based on general trends observed over the past ten trading days and are not indicative of future results.

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