US stocks set more records on trade progress

A quarter that started with US stocks falling out of bed ended with the S&P 500 booking a double-digit gain amid more signs of progress on agreements that may help avoid trade wars flaring up again.

The benchmark US stock index booked another record close with a 0.5% gain, as did the Nasdaq 100 with a 0.6% advance. The Russell 2000 inched 0.1% higher.

Every S&P 500 sector ETF gained outside of consumer discretionary, energy, and materials, with tech and financials leading the way higher.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise paced the S&P 500’s gains, closing up 11% after the Department of Justice officially cleared its $14 billion Juniper Networks acquisition.

Apple popped 2% on reports that the iPhone maker is considering using OpenAI or Anthropic to power its Siri AI assistant.

Palantir shares were up 4% after the retail favorite announced a partnership with Accenture Federal Services centering on the company’s growing AI software business.

Robinhood Markets jumped nearly 13% after the company announced plans to extend its crypto offerings, including launching tokenized versions of US stocks and ETFs for EU customers.

(Robinhood Markets Inc. is the parent company of Sherwood Media, an independently operated media company subject to certain legal and regulatory restrictions.)

Moderna rose as much as 5% before closing at a 1.6% gain after the pharma giant announced positive results for its experimental flu vaccine.

Oracle rose 4% after the tech giant disclosed a new $30 billion contract and backed its 2026 guidance in a morning regulatory filing.

AppLovin popped almost 5% after UBS hiked its price target for the ad tech company to $540 from $475 — well above the average analyst price target of $467.

Plug Power soared 28% after new provisions to the Senate’s tax bill proposed extending green hydrogen production credit an additional two years.

Cava shares were up 8.2% after the popular Mediterranean food chain saw a wave of afternoon bullish options activity.

Shares of wholesale supplier GMS jumped nearly 12% after Home Depot announced a $4.3 billion takeover, sharpening its pivot toward professional contractors.