economy
Wednesday's big stock stories: What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session
The artificial intelligence trade lifted the Nasdaq Composite to a 21.4% gain in the second quarter, its best quarterly performance since 2020.
TL;DR
- The Russell 2000 led major indexes in the first half of 2026, with a nearly 22% gain.
- Nasdaq 100 and Nasdaq Composite also showed strong performance, up almost 20% and nearly 13% respectively.
- Industrials and Tech were the top S&P sectors, up roughly 19% each year to date.
- Notable analyst 'buy' calls included Applied Materials (up 180%), Lam Research (up 153%), and Hut8 (up 151%).
- Palantir Technologies announced a partnership with Nvidia to enhance AI model deployment for U.S. government agencies and critical infrastructure.
- The ADP jobs report is expected to show 110,000 new jobs, a slight decrease from the previous month.
- General Mills is reporting earnings, with the stock down 6% in three months and paying a 7% dividend yield.
- Efforts to lower gasoline prices to $2.50 a gallon are discussed, with current national average at $3.8470.
- Q2 auto sales show mixed results for major manufacturers, with Ford and Tesla showing recent gains, while GM, Stellantis, and Toyota have seen declines or are off recent highs.