NASDAQ closes at record high as S&P 500 nears milestone

The Nasdaq Composite closed at roughly 27,121 on September 21, marking a fresh all-time high and eclipsing its previous record close of 27,093.90 set back on June 2. The S&P 500 wasn’t far behind, finishing near 7,760.29 and inching toward the highs it posted in August. AMD joins the trillion-dollar club Advanced Micro Devices stole the show, rallying nearly 10% in a single session and pushing its market capitalization past $1 trillion for the first time. Intel and Arm Holdings both surged more than 12% during the session. Meta Platforms added roughly 11% after analyst upgrades tied to its Muse AI assistant. The macro backdrop helped The 10-year Treasury yield slipped to approximately 4.976%. Lower yields reduce the discount rate applied to future earnings, which mechanically boosts the present value of growth stocks. Brent crude oil prices also cooperated, dipping toward $100.58 per barrel. The decline was partly attributed to diplomatic progress involving the Middle East and a planned meeting between former President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. A pattern that keeps repeating Throughout 2025 and into 2026, markets have followed a recognizable cycle: volatility driven by tarif...