US stocks closed higher, with the Russell 2000 outperforming the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq as gains reached beyond large-cap technology names. Dell surged after an earnings beat and raised guidance, fintech names rallied, while cybersecurity and high-growth software stocks fell.
The Russell 2000 led major US benchmarks higher, closing up 1.13% at 2,953.18, a day when buying interest spread into smaller companies and other parts of the market beyond the largest technology names.
Broad indices post modest gains
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 53,067.32, up 295.05 points or 0.56%. The S&P 500 rose 35.21 points, or 0.46%, to 7,666.69. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.45%, ending at 26,217.83. The Nasdaq 100 lagged with a 0.23% increase to 29,143.33.
That relative performance points to a day when buying interest spread into smaller companies rather than concentrating in a handful of large technology names.
Dell, fintech and industrials lead winners
Dell was the standout performer, surging 15.27% after beating earnings and increasing its forward guidance. Oracle gained 3.29% and Nvidia rose 3.19%, showing continued buying interest in companies tied to computing and AI infrastructure.
Fintech and trading platforms formed one of the clearest clusters of strength: Block rose 5.96%, SoFi gained 4.90%, PayPal advanced 3.65% and Robinhood added 3.19%. Best Buy gained 5.40% and Lyft added 3.64%. United Airlines rose 3.98% despite oil prices remaining elevated above $90. Worthington Industries advanced 5.96%, Deere gained 3.35% and fertilizer producer CF Industries rose 3.11%.
Cybersecurity and high-growth software slide
Cybersecurity stocks came under pressure as Palo Alto Networks fell 9.30%, CrowdStrike declined 5.44% and Fortinet lost 4.54%. The First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF dropped 2.73%, showing that the weakness extended across the sector.
High-growth software and AI names also weighed on the market. Credo Technology plunged 20.02% as earnings failed to impress. Datadog fell 6.56%, Palantir declined 5.80% and Snowflake lost 4.12%, helping explain why the Nasdaq 100 lagged despite strong gains in Dell, Nvidia and Oracle. FedEx fell 2.58%, a downside contrast to the strength in United Airlines and Lyft.
Source: Investinglive
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