Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) punched through $80,000 on Friday, driving a rally in crypto equities even as broader markets stalled under rising bond yields.
Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid delivered a hawkish signal, defending rate hikes against sticky, broad-based inflation above 3%.
Bond yields spiked in response:
- The 10-year Treasury note surging 7 basis points back to 5%.
- The 2-year yield rose 7 basis points to 4.75%
- The 30-year climbed 4 basis points to 5.34%.
Energy Prices Offer Rare Bit of Relief
West Texas Intermediate crude eased 0.4% to $101.50 a barrel and Brent slipped 0.5% to $104.26, extending a mid-week retreat even as supply concerns tied to Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East stayed live.
Natural gas moved the other way, adding 0.8% to $2.92 per MMBtu, keeping the energy inflation story on the table.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 7,621.16, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 222 points, or 0.4%, to 51,555.73.
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) was the heaviest weight on the blue-chip index, falling 3%.
The Nasdaq 100 was the most resilient of the majors, hovering just below the flatline at 29,425.62.
The Russell 2000 was the clear laggard again, down 0.9% to 2,848.24 and now off 3.7% for September.
Gold firmed as the pullback in crude eased near-term inflation anxiety, with spot bullion up 0.4% to $4,358 an ounce and the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD) gaining 0.4%. Silver outpaced it, rising 1.6% to $66.24.
Friday’s Performance In Major US Indices
| Index | Last | % Change | MTD | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,621.16 | -0.2% | -0.9% | +11.3% |
| Dow Jones | 51,555.73 | -0.4% | -3.1% | +7.3% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 29,425.62 | -0.1% | -0.1% | +16.5% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,848.24 | -0.9% | -3.7% | +14.8% |
According to the Benzinga Pro platform:
- The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO) fell 0.2%.
- The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) slid 0.7%.
- The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) edged down 0.1%.
- The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:IWM) dropped 0.9%.
Materials, Solar Lead Sector Drag As Chips Buck Trend
The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLE) rose 0.2%, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) essentially flat behind it.
The Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLB) was the worst performer, down 1.5%, followed by the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLC) and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLU), both off 1.1%. The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLF) shed 0.2% as banks and asset managers traded in the red on the back-up in yields.
At the industry level, the SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (NYSE:XME) was the day’s biggest casualty, down 2.3%, with the Invesco Solar ETF (NYSE:TAN) off 2.2% and the VanEck Agribusiness ETF (NYSE:MOO) down 1.7%.
Semiconductors bucked the tape, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) up 0.6% and the U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE:JETS) adding 0.2%.
The chip rebound was led by equipment names, with Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ:LRCX) up 5.1%, Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) up 4.1% and Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) adding 1.4%, recovering some ground lost when AI security concerns prompted investors to reconsider the pace of datacenter spending. Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) rose 7.3% on the memory bid.
AI hyperscalers went the other way on their debt issuance spree, with Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) down 3.3%.
The Session’s Dominant Story Sits Outside Sector Map
Bitcoin extended a roughly 5% weekly advance, after the Securities and Exchange Commission granted an innovation exemption enabling trading in tokenized stocks.
Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) surged 12.9% to $149.25 as the most levered listed proxy on the token, and Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc. (AMEX:BMNR) climbed 7.4% on the same digital-asset treasury trade.
The exchanges and brokers rode the same wave. Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) jumped 10.6% to $192.32 on volumes and the SEC tokenization exemption, while Bullish (NYSE:BLSH) added 7.4%, extending Thursday’s gains on the same ruling.
Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) rose 7.7% to $118.22, with analysts this week raising targets on accelerating Robinhood Chain fee growth and expanding prediction-market volumes. Galaxy Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GLXY) gained 7.6%.
The pain was concentrated in steel and speculative growth.
Nucor Corp. (NYSE:NUE) sank 6% after guiding third-quarter earnings to $5.55-$5.65 per diluted share late Thursday, well short of the roughly $6.20 analysts were modeling, with weaker raw materials pricing and shipments offsetting higher steel mill realizations. Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ:STLD) slid alongside it on its own soft guide.
Space Gives Back Recent Gains
AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) fell 7.1% to $58.26 and Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) dropped 5.4% to $64.17, with Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) down 4% alongside them.
IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) fell 5.6% to $38.07, another high-beta casualty of the rotation out of long-duration speculative growth as real yields pushed higher.
QUALCOMM Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) was the odd name out in a rising semiconductor tape, sliding 5.8% to $177.70. The move follows a roughly 18% one-month run built on the company’s multi-generational AI datacenter collaboration with Amazon announced Sept. 8, and looks like profit-taking against the Apple modem revenue cliff still ahead.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) also fell 5.1% as record-high diesel prices pressure demand for full-size pickups and SUVs that generate the bulk of GM’s margin.
Friday’s Russell 1000 Top Gainers
| Name | % change |
|---|---|
| Strategy Inc. | +12.85% |
| Coinbase Global, Inc. | +10.55% |
| Robinhood Markets, Inc. | +7.66% |
| Bullish | +7.38% |
| Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc. | +7.35% |
Friday’s Russell 1000 Top Losers
| Name | % change |
|---|---|
| AST SpaceMobile, Inc. | -7.10% |
| Nucor Corporation | -5.95% |
| QUALCOMM Incorporated | -5.83% |
| IonQ, Inc. | -5.62% |
| Rocket Lab Corporation | -5.39% |
Image: Shutterstock
Login to comment