S&P 500 eyes biggest first-half gain since 2021 as Apple leads tech melt-up

By Yasin Ebrahim

Investing.com -- The S&P 500 rallied Friday, as data showing inflation cooled more than expected triggered bullish bets on stocks, keeping the broader market on track to deliver its best first-half performance since 2021.

The S&P 500 rose 1.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.9%, or 319 points, and the Nasdaq rose 1.5%.

Cooling Inflation Calms Hawkish Fed Fears (For Now)

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure, rose 0.1% last month, well below expectations for 0.6% and below the 0.4% from a month earlier. In the 12 months through May, PCE rose 3.8%, missing economists forecasts of 4.6%.

The slower pace of inflation may not be enough to stop the Fed hiking in July, Pantheon Macroeconomics says, if next month’s inflation data and monthly jobs report come in hot.

“Our base case, though, is that these data will be on the softer side, so we think the chance of a further hike is about 40%,” it added. “And if they don’t hike in July, they’re probably done.”

Apple Value Hits $3 Trillion as Tech Racks Up Gains

The broader market melt-up was led by an Apple-infused charge in tech after iPhone maker’s market cap rose above $3 trillion.

The move in Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) comes at time when the “Street has severely underestimated the massive installed base upgrade opportunity around iPhone 14,” Wedbush said, touting “mini supercycle” ahead for iPhone upgrades with the release of iPhone 15 expected later this year.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), meanwhile, jumped 3% after the UK closed its probe into the social media giant's sale of Giphy to Shuttershock.

Crypto Stocks Waver After SEC Throws Shade on Bitcoin ETF Optimism

Cryptocurrency-related stocks including Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ:COIN), Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT), and Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MARA) were mostly higher after moving off session lows even as the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission said the recent slew of bitcoin exchange-traded funds filings - that have triggered a rally in cryptos -0 were inadequate. Blackrock, Invesco and Fidelity are among the biggest names that have applied for a spot bitcoin ETF.

Nike Slips Up on Earnings Stage, But Wall Street Remains Bullish

Nike (NYSE:NKE) fell more than 2% after the sportswear giant reported its first earnings miss in more than three years as margins were hurt by higher costs and a stronger dollar.

Still some on Wall Street continued to back the stock and flagged Nike's efforts to improve inventory as key takeaway.   

"We believe the key take coming out of the print is the company’s much improved inventory position (total dollars flat YOY with units down double-digits across both footwear and apparel), which we think signals the start of promotional pressure relief across the athletic space," Deutsche Bank said in a note.