Stock market today: Live updates - EUROPE SAYS
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 29, 2026. NYSEThe Japanese yen weakened to a fresh 40-year low against the dollar on Wednesday, while Dow futures slipped on Tuesday night after the 30-stock. . .
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 29, 2026. NYSEThe Japanese yen weakened to a fresh 40-year low against the dollar on Wednesday, while Dow futures slipped on Tuesday night after the 30-stock index posted its best first half in five years. The yen fell to162. 28 per dollar, data from LSEG showed, extending losses fromthe previous sessionas traders remained alert for possible intervention by Japanese authorities. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Averagefell 83 points, or 0. 2%. S&P 500 futuresandNasdaq 100 futureswere trading around the flatline. During the day’s regular session, all three major averages rose to close out a strong first half of 2026. The blue-chipDowadded 136. 46 points, or 0. 26%. TheS&P 500gained 0. 79%, while the technology-heavyNasdaq Compositejumped 1. 52%. In the first six months of 2026, the Dow notched a rise of 8. 9%, marking its best first-half performance since 2021. In the same time period, the broad market S&P 500 rose 9. 6% and the Nasdaq climbed 12. 8%. The small-capRussell 2000surged nearly 22% to clinch itsbest first-half performancesince 1991. Asurge in chip and AI-related nameshas been driving the stock market, with Tuesday’s gains partly due to a rise in chip stocks. In fact, a record chip rally added$2 trillion in combined market capitalizationtoMicron,IntelandAdvanced Micro Devicesin the second quarter of 2026. Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday. Japan’sNikkei 225rose 1. 79%, while the broader Topix gained 1. 07%. South Korea’sKospiadvanced 1. 52%, but the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0. 42%. Australia’sS&P/ASX 200was little changed, trading 0. 05% lower. Hong Kong markets are closed for the holiday. The CSI 300 was flat at the open. Heading into the second half of the year, Paul Hickey, Bespoke Investment Group co-founder, said that he still likes the sector, but it may be getting a bit too hot. “Over the long term, we still like the semis, but I wouldn’t be aggressive towards it here. This bull market is an AI-driven bull market, that’s the theme. If this bull market is going to continue, it’s going to be led by tech and probably semis, but they don’t have to beat consistently, and you can’t go in that kind of pattern for good,” he said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” Tuesday afternoon. “So I think in that respect they’ve gotten a little bit…extended. So I would maybe take a breather here. ”On Wednesday,Federal ReserveChairman Kevin Warsh will speak at the European Central Bank Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal. Since taking the helm, Warsh has set out toremake the U. S. central bankthrough the adoption of new task forces that will comprehensively review the Fed’s current strategies to define modern monetary policy. Traders have also been anticipating that the central bank could be poisedto hike interest ratesin the ongoing battle against inflation. In terms of economic data due Wednesday, traders will watch out for the latest reading on June’s ADP employment survey, alongside June’s ISM manufacturing and final global PMI manufacturing readings.