The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.72% to 51,032.46 points, leading major indices higher. The S&P 500 also saw gains, rising 0.22% to 7,580.06 points. However, the Nasdaq 100 only edged up 0.36% to 30,333.18 points, indicating a more muted tech sector performance compared to the broader market. Small caps, as represented by the IWM ETF, declined -0.55% to $290.43. The VIX, a measure of market volatility, decreased by -2.67% to 15.32 points, suggesting a slight easing of investor fear.
ASML Holding NV shares rose 0.44%, bringing the current price to $1612.76. The stock is considered overvalued by some valuation metrics, despite a high GF Score of 92 out of 100. FirstEnergy (FE) also saw a modest gain of 0.43%, closing at $46.39. This comes as FirstEnergy recently filed a $3 billion shelf prospectus to offer debt and equity securities, aiming to bolster its capital structure and support future growth initiatives.
Conversely, Celularity (CELU) faces challenges after receiving a noncompliance notice from Nasdaq. The notice raises concerns about Celularity's ability to meet listing requirements, which could negatively impact its stock price and investor confidence. CELU shares were up 1.92% to $1.01, but the Nasdaq notice is a significant overhang for investors.
Cardiff Oncology (CRDF) is embroiled in a dispute with NMS, which alleges a breach of agreement over Cardiff patents inventorship and failure to use commercially reasonable efforts for Onvansertib. Cardiff Oncology disputes the termination notice, asserting it will continue under the agreement. CRDF shares increased 3.26% to $1.90 amid this uncertainty.
Commodities showed mixed performance. Gold rose 1.34% to $4593.00 per ounce, while silver dipped slightly by -0.05% to $75.88 per ounce. Oil (WTI) decreased by -1.73% to $87.36 per barrel, and copper fell by -0.58% to $6.39 per pound. Natural gas saw a slight increase of 0.15% to $3.29 per MMBtu. In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin edged up 0.06% to $73447.74, while Ethereum increased 0.32% to $2012.02.
The dollar index (DXY) decreased slightly by -0.08% to 98.94 points, indicating a marginal weakening of the U.S. dollar.