If you blinked, you might have missed it: U.S. stocks are largely green again. The S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.96%) is up by 1.1% as of 2 p.m. ET, aiming for the eighth positive daily move in the last nine market days.
The Nasdaq-100 index is jumping even higher with a 1.6% gain as of this writing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.52%) index trails behind with a 0.6% score increase, but that’s still a bullish move.
^SPX data by YCharts
What’s driving today’s gains?
The Magnificent 7 group is leading the charge for the cap-weighted indexes. Alphabet (GOOG +3.13%) (GOOGL +3.22%), Nvidia (NVDA +2.85%), and Amazon (AMZN +3.98%) are doing the heavy lifting with the richest combinations of index weights and single-day gains. Their moves simply make a bigger difference to the Nasdaq-100 index, since the seven stocks carry a total weight of 65% there but only 38% on the S&P 500.
On the Dow, the Magnificent 7 carry less weight due to modest single-share stock prices. Here, financial giant Goldman Sachs (GS +2.35%) led Tuesday’s action with an 11.4% index weight and a 2% price increase.
Goldman reported first-quarter results on Monday evening, with earnings and revenues edging out Wall Street’s consensus targets. That’s the only significant earnings mover today, as this earnings season generally starts with banks before moving on to the tech sector.
The Magnificent 7 gains were inspired by a reasonable wholesale inflation report and a pause in the Iranian conflict. That being said, tensions are still mounting in Iran with unproductive peace talks and an American blockade of shipments through the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Amazon added some company-specific detail to the bullish macroeconomic mood, announcing the acquisition of satellite communications veteran Globalstar (GSAT +9.47%).
Today’s Change
(3.98%) $9.55
Current Price
$249.44
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$2.6T
Day’s Range
$241.78 – $252.18
52wk Range
$165.28 – $258.60
Volume
2.7M
Avg Vol
51M
Gross Margin
50.29%
Resilience amid uncertainty
At midday, the S&P 500 is back to where it was before the Iran conflict started. The Nasdaq and S&P are approaching price levels where past rallies have stalled. The market’s resilience is notable given the tough backdrop. Wholesale inflation stands at a three-year high, oil prices are elevated by geopolitical conflict, and prominent investors are issuing global recession warnings.
Yet, tech strength and hopes for U.S.-Iran peace talks have supported a brighter investor sentiment.
Image source: Getty Images.
For retail investors, the lesson is familiar but worth repeating: diversification matters.
Energy is up nearly 29% over six months, but is pulling back now. Tech and clean energy are picking up the slack at the moment. There’s opportunity in the chaos if you’re willing to zoom out.
Anders Bylund has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Goldman Sachs Group, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
