U.S. stocks closed the session mixed on Wednesday as sector-level strength and weakness pulled indices in different directions. At the New York close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.02%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.01% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.17%.
Sector performance was uneven. Telecoms, Oil & Gas and Basic Materials led gains across the market, while Consumer Services, Industrials and Healthcare were among the weakest groups, weighing on parts of the benchmark averages.
Notable moves on the Dow
On the Dow Jones Industrial Average, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was the session's strongest component, climbing 4.00% or 11.32 points to finish at 294.02. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) added 1.59% or 3.00 points to close at 191.52, and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 1.46% or 3.28 points to end the session at 227.72.
At the other end of the index, Amgen Inc (NASDAQ:AMGN) fell 2.59% or 9.10 points to 342.22 at the close. Honeywell International Inc (NASDAQ:HON) declined 1.93% or 4.27 points to 216.64, and Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) slipped 1.35% or 0.85 points to finish at 62.24.
Sizable swings among S&P 500 components
On the S&P 500, a number of names registered large percentage changes. Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX) led gains, rising 19.14% to 442.93. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) climbed 10.99% to settle at 48.76, and Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) gained 10.70% to close at 279.69.
Conversely, Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) declined 12.19% to 145.99 in late trade, Axon Enterprise Inc (NASDAQ:AXON) lost 9.89% to finish at 549.86 and Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS) fell 7.94% to 55.28 at the close.
Top and bottom performers on the Nasdaq Composite
The Nasdaq Composite saw a set of extreme moves among smaller-cap and micro-cap stocks. Tian Ruixiang Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:TIRX) rose 311.21% to 1.32, ENVue Medical Inc (NASDAQ:FEED) was up 119.87% to 2.31 and Linkers Industries Ltd (NASDAQ:LNKS) gained 60.35% to close at 0.77.
On the downside, CalciMedica Inc (NASDAQ:CALC) fell 75.35% to 1.25 in late trade, Masonglory Ltd (NASDAQ:MSGY) lost 67.25% to settle at 2.05 and FAT Brands Inc (NASDAQ:FATBB) declined 38.61% to 0.62 at the close.
Market breadth and record levels
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1,634 to 1,103, with 96 issues unchanged. On the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2,287 issues fell while 1,082 advanced, and 175 were unchanged.
Several individual stocks touched milestone levels during the session. Shares of Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX) rose to an all-time high, increasing 19.14% or 71.17 to 442.93. Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) also reached an all-time high, gaining 10.70% or 27.03 to 279.69. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose to an all-time high as well, advancing 1.46% or 3.28 to 227.72. On the downside, CalciMedica Inc (NASDAQ:CALC) fell to an all-time low, dropping 75.35% or 3.82 to 1.25, and FAT Brands Inc (NASDAQ:FATBB) reached an all-time low, losing 38.61% or 0.39 to 0.62.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index, a gauge of implied S&P 500 options volatility, ticked up 0.18% to 16.38. In commodities, Gold Futures for April delivery were up 5.80% or 297.20 to $5,417.80 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery rose 1.84% or 1.15 to $63.54 a barrel, while the April Brent contract increased 1.58% or 1.05 to trade at $67.64 a barrel.
In the currency markets, EUR/USD was down 0.81% to 1.19, and USD/JPY rose 0.79% to 153.45. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.14% at 96.19.
This mixed session underscored a market driven by sector-level rotation and notable stock-specific moves, with breadth indicators showing more decliners than advancers across both major U.S. exchanges.