US close: Markets mixed but Dow still hits new record

5th Aug 2026 23:36

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street stocks were mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow hitting another all-time high but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq erasing earlier gains to finish lower, as investors weighed rising optimism about a US-Iran deal with poor jobs data.

The Dow climbed 0.5% to set a new all-time closing peak of 54,349.12, while the S&P 500 pulled back 0.2% from Tuesday's record high, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.8%.

"Overall, the stock market rally could take a pause here, especially in the US. However, we think that if this happens it will be temporary, as there are multiple factors that could drive stocks higher from here, including a lower oil price, and a strong Q2 earnings season," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.

Oil prices stabilised after dropping to a four-week low on Wednesday on rising hopes of diplomatic progress between the US and Iran as they negotiate to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brent settled up 0.1% higher at $79.45 a barrel.

Negotiations, which are taking place in Rome and are scheduled to run until Thursday, revolve around "expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement", according to a US State Department official, cited by AFP.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman were reportedly nearing a deal to reopen Hormuz that would grant Tehran oversight of traffic flows entering the Gulf.

In equity news, chipmaker AMD dropped sharply despite reporting adjusted earnings slightly ahead of Wall Street expectations, while Nvidia outperformed after Elon Musk named the company as SpaceX's preferred supplier of AI chips.

SpaceX itself, however, sank 14% despite posting stronger‑than‑expected second‑quarter results after the close on Tuesday in its first earnings release as a public company. According to analysts, investors were focusing on the company's ambitious spending plans, which dampened enthusiasm for the Q2 beat.

Eli Lilly jumped after lifting its full-year guidance as weight-loss jabs Mounjaro and Zepbound drove an increase in second-quarter sales.

Uber's Q2 results landed broadly in line, with revenues up 12% at $14.19bn, while total bookings reached $58bn, slightly ahead of estimates. However, its Q3 outlook disappointed, with guidance for bookings and EPS coming in below Wall Street expectations.

Meanwhile, Disney also gained on the back of strong third-quarter results, driven by growth across its theme parks and cruise operations and the box-office and consumer-products success of Toy Story 5.

On the macro front, US private employers added 44,000 jobs in July, according to Automatic Data Processing, the lowest reading in six months. July's reading follows a downwardly revised print of 95,000 in June and came in well and truly short of expectations of an increase of 70,000. All of July's growth came from the services sector, which added 47,000 while goods-producing companies reported a drop of 3,000.

US mortgage applications decreased by 2.9% in the week ended 31 July, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, building on the prior week's 6.4% increase and marking the sharpest back-to-back decline in two months.

Both S&P Global's services and composite PMIs hit nine‑month highs as stronger demand, firmer business confidence and rising employment signalled a solid start to the second half of 2026. The composite PMI rose to 54.5 from 51.9, its strongest reading since October 2025 and above the flash estimate, while the services PMI rose to 54.6, supported by the steepest rise in new orders since late 2025.

Finally, the Institute for Supply Management's services sector PMI continued to expand in July, edging up to 54.1 from 54.0 in June, though coming in slightly below the 54.5 expected by economists

Dow Jones - Risers

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $407.83 7.82%

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $101.76 3.65%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $101.06 3.46%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $311.00 2.59%

Nike Inc. (NKE) $42.45 2.22%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $274.00 2.11%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $353.14 1.41%

Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $382.45 1.41%

Boeing Co. (BA) $240.19 1.28%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $412.75 1.24%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $29.67 -2.18%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $186.41 -2.10%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $46.47 -0.87%

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $146.80 -0.82%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $871.08 -0.62%

Visa Inc. (V) $368.54 -0.28%

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $487.46 -0.17%

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $0.00 0.00%

Walmart Inc. (WMT) $0.00 0.00%

Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $0.00 0.00%

S&P 500 - Risers

Perrigo Company plc (PRGO) $13.27 23.10%

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) $88.07 8.88%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $407.83 7.82%

Assurant Inc. (AIZ) $301.57 7.20%

Newmont Corporation (NEM) $104.29 6.71%

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $207.02 6.25%

Borg Warner Inc. (BWA) $66.78 5.93%

Fastenal Co. (FAST) $49.99 5.81%

McKesson Corp. (MCK) $877.23 5.64%

Marriott International - Class A (MAR) $361.31 5.42%

S&P 500 - Fallers

DaVita Inc (DVA) $188.69 -17.24%

CenturyLink Inc. (LUMN) $6.08 -9.39%

Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) $32.56 -8.62%

Eog Resources Inc. (EOG) $134.23 -6.47%

HF Sinclair Corporation (DINO) $82.98 -5.97%

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) $482.05 -5.66%

CVS Health Corp (CVS) $99.12 -5.08%

Crown Castle International (CCI) $73.84 -4.92%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $519.17 -4.88%

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) $297.75 -4.75%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $407.83 7.82%

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $207.02 6.25%

Fastenal Co. (FAST) $49.99 5.81%

Marriott International - Class A (MAR) $361.31 5.42%

Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $153.17 5.33%

Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $319.66 5.15%

O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $93.44 4.97%

Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $66.99 4.41%

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $219.22 3.94%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $106.00 3.57%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $0.34 -13.49%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $519.17 -4.88%

Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $584.78 -4.42%

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO) $234.91 -4.09%

Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $10.57 -3.78%

Liberty Global plc Series C (LBTYK) $10.29 -3.43%

DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (XRAY) $13.78 -3.09%

Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOG) $360.13 -3.04%

Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $362.43 -2.82%

Cadence Design Systems Inc. (CDNS) $337.07 -2.61%