US stock market indices hit new highs again, with NASDAQ up 8.36% in May
N.R. Finch
The Dow crossed 51,000 for the first time as all three indexes set new records; the Nasdaq surged 8.36% in May and the S&P 500 extended its winning streak to nine weeks — the longest since December 2023 — while stalled US-Iran talks and falling oil prices add an undercurrent of caution.
All three at record highs — which one led on the day?
The Dow rose 363 points (+0.72%) to 51,032, posting the day's strongest gain among the three indexes.
The Nasdaq added just 0.20%; the S&P 500 gained 0.22% — tech was relatively muted on the session.
This means → the day's fresh money favored traditional blue chips over tech-growth names.
Zoom out to the full month — does the picture flip?
The Nasdaq climbed 8.36% in May, the S&P 500 rose 5.15%, and the Dow gained only 2.78%.
The S&P 500 has now risen for nine consecutive weeks, its longest winning streak since December 2023.
In plain terms = on any single day blue chips can lead, but across the whole month tech was the real driver — and the streak is now long enough to make investors start watching for a pullback.
At the single-stock level, who was the day's biggest winner?
Dell Technologies surged 32.76% in a single session, one of the day's largest gainers.
IBM jumped over 12%, Oracle rose more than 10%, and Qualcomm added over 3% — an across-the-board eruption in enterprise IT.
This reflects a market re-pricing of the "AI infrastructure reaching the enterprise" theme.
Where are US-Iran talks stuck?
Trump held a Situation Room meeting lasting roughly two hours but made no decision on a new deal with Iran.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said communication continues, with no final consensus reached.
Fed Governor Bowman said it is too early to judge how the Iran situation will affect inflation, backed keeping language that signals further rate cuts remain possible, and argued that temporarily looking through energy-driven inflation data is appropriate.
Put simply = talks neither collapsed nor concluded, and the Fed's posture is "don't react yet."
What story are other markets telling?
The Nikkei 225 rose 2.53% and Korea's KOSPI surged 3.55% — Asian equities outpaced Wall Street on the day.
Spot gold climbed 1% to $4,541 per ounce; Bitcoin reclaimed the $73,000 level.
WTI crude fell nearly 2% to around $87 a barrel; Brent settled near $92; the dollar index slipped to 98.902.
This means → gold and Bitcoin rising together, oil falling, the dollar weakening — the market is hedging both ways, chasing risk-on and clinging to safe havens at the same time.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.