{"id":48932,"date":"2026-04-25T11:34:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T11:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/25\/sp-500-nasdaq-hit-records-dow-slips-as-intel-fuels-rally\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T11:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T11:34:58","slug":"sp-500-nasdaq-hit-records-dow-slips-as-intel-fuels-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/25\/sp-500-nasdaq-hit-records-dow-slips-as-intel-fuels-rally\/","title":{"rendered":"S&amp;P 500, Nasdaq hit records; Dow slips as Intel fuels rally"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p>US equities ended the week on a mixed note, with the S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closing at record highs on Friday, supported by optimism around potential US-Iran talks and a surge in semiconductor stocks led by Intel. <\/p>\n<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, lagged behind, ending the session slightly lower.<\/p>\n<p>The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.8% to close at 7,165.08, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.6% to 24,836.60, with both indices also hitting fresh intraday records. <\/p>\n<p>In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 79 points, or 0.16%, to 49,230.71.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Iran talks optimism lifts sentiment despite tensions<\/h2>\n<p>Investor sentiment was buoyed by signs that diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran may resume, even as geopolitical tensions remain elevated. <\/p>\n<p>Reports indicated that Abbas Araghchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad to discuss proposals for restarting negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan for talks mediated by local officials.<\/p>\n<p>Markets have been sensitive to developments surrounding the Iran conflict, particularly disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route. <\/p>\n<p>Oil prices eased slightly following the latest diplomatic signals, with US crude trading above $94 per barrel and Brent crude above $105.<\/p>\n<p>Despite ongoing uncertainty, some investors appear to be looking past near-term geopolitical risks. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Semiconductor rally, Intel surge drive market gains<\/h2>\n<p>Technology stocks led the advance, with semiconductor companies extending a strong weekly rally. <\/p>\n<p>The iShares Semiconductor ETF recorded its 18th consecutive session of gains, highlighting sustained momentum in the sector.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/invezz.com\/news\/2026\/04\/24\/intel-stock-skyrockets-28-so-why-are-analysts-still-saying-sell\/\">Intel was a standout performer<\/a>, with its shares surging more than 20% after the company reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results and issued an upbeat outlook for the second quarter. <\/p>\n<p>The chipmaker also benefited from improving demand in its data center and artificial intelligence business.<\/p>\n<p>The broader rally in semiconductors reflects easing concerns about the return on investment from AI-related capital expenditures.<\/p>\n<p>Other chipmakers, including Advanced Micro Devices and Arm Holdings, also posted gains, reinforcing the sector\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weekly performance mixed as focus shifts to Fed<\/h2>\n<p>For the week, major indices delivered mixed results. <\/p>\n<p>The S&amp;P 500 is on track to finish up about 0.6%, while the Nasdaq has gained roughly 1.5%, marking a fourth consecutive week of advances for both indices\u2014their longest streak since late 2024. <\/p>\n<p>The Dow, however, is set to end the week down about 0.4%, snapping a three-week winning run.<\/p>\n<p>A strong start to the earnings season has helped underpin equity markets, with first-quarter earnings growth expectations rising to 16.1%, according to LSEG data, up from 14.4% at the beginning of April.<\/p>\n<p>Attention is now turning to the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, where investors will look for signals on interest rate cuts and leadership developments. <\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department\u2019s decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/invezz.com\/news\/2026\/04\/24\/doj-drops-powell-probe-clearing-path-for-warsh-fed-chair-bid\/\">drop its investigation into Jerome Powell<\/a> has removed a potential obstacle to confirming Kevin Warsh as the next central bank chair.<\/p>\n<p>Markets are currently pricing in about a 39% probability of at least a 25-basis-point rate cut by December, according to CME\u2019s FedWatch tool, up from around 23% in the previous session.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/invezz.com\/news\/2026\/04\/24\/sp-500-nasdaq-hit-records-dow-slips-as-intel-fuels-rally\/\">S&amp;P 500, Nasdaq hit records; Dow slips as Intel fuels rally<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/invezz.com\">Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US equities ended the week on a mixed note, with the S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closing at record highs on Friday, supported by optimism around potential US-Iran talks and a surge in semiconductor stocks led by Intel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, lagged behind, ending the session slightly lower. The S&amp;P 500 rose <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-48932","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-investing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}