Global Stock Market Overview, Aug. 24–28: AI Supports Gains as Rates Drive Divergence
📈 U.S. equities ended the week higher, but market breadth remained narrow. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones gained about 0.5%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.8%. In contrast, the Russell 2000 fell 1.5%. Friday reinforced the gap, with the S&P 500 down 0.25%, the Nasdaq losing 0.52%, and the Russell 2000 sliding 1.4%.
🤖 Technology remained the main driver. Nvidia reported $96.2 billion in revenue, up 106% YoY, helping its shares jump 8.7% on Aug. 27. Salesforce and CrowdStrike surged 22.6% and 20.5% after strong results. Marvell, however, fell more than 10%, showing that investors are becoming more selective within the AI theme.
🏦 Pressure returned on Aug. 28 after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation remained above target and the Fed still had work to do. Market pricing for a September rate hike rose from around 35% to 55–58%, while the U.S. 2-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.35%. Small caps, real estate and other rate-sensitive groups underperformed cash-rich mega-cap companies.
📊 Breadth also remained weak. On Aug. 27, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq gained 1.5%, while the equal-weight S&P 500 fell 0.3%, highlighting how gains remained concentrated in a relatively small group of large-cap stocks.
🌍 Outside the U.S., performance was mixed. Germany’s DAX gained about 1.8% for the week, while France’s CAC 40 fell 0.8% amid political concerns. In Asia, Taiwan’s TAIEX rose 2.5% on AI supply-chain strength, while South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 1.8% as local monetary policy turned more hawkish.
🔎 Overall, markets continued to reward companies delivering visible earnings growth, while stocks more dependent on lower interest rates remained under pressure. The rally therefore stayed selective rather than broadly risk-on.
#GlobalMarkets $NVDAB $AAPLB $GOOGL.US
📈 U.S. equities ended the week higher, but market breadth remained narrow. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones gained about 0.5%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.8%. In contrast, the Russell 2000 fell 1.5%. Friday reinforced the gap, with the S&P 500 down 0.25%, the Nasdaq losing 0.52%, and the Russell 2000 sliding 1.4%.
🤖 Technology remained the main driver. Nvidia reported $96.2 billion in revenue, up 106% YoY, helping its shares jump 8.7% on Aug. 27. Salesforce and CrowdStrike surged 22.6% and 20.5% after strong results. Marvell, however, fell more than 10%, showing that investors are becoming more selective within the AI theme.
🏦 Pressure returned on Aug. 28 after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation remained above target and the Fed still had work to do. Market pricing for a September rate hike rose from around 35% to 55–58%, while the U.S. 2-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.35%. Small caps, real estate and other rate-sensitive groups underperformed cash-rich mega-cap companies.
📊 Breadth also remained weak. On Aug. 27, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq gained 1.5%, while the equal-weight S&P 500 fell 0.3%, highlighting how gains remained concentrated in a relatively small group of large-cap stocks.
🌍 Outside the U.S., performance was mixed. Germany’s DAX gained about 1.8% for the week, while France’s CAC 40 fell 0.8% amid political concerns. In Asia, Taiwan’s TAIEX rose 2.5% on AI supply-chain strength, while South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 1.8% as local monetary policy turned more hawkish.
🔎 Overall, markets continued to reward companies delivering visible earnings growth, while stocks more dependent on lower interest rates remained under pressure. The rally therefore stayed selective rather than broadly risk-on.
#GlobalMarkets $NVDAB $AAPLB $GOOGL.US
