S&P and Nasdaq set records

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs on Friday, April 24, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished lower. (cnbc.com) (apnews.com) The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,165.08, and the Nasdaq gained 1.63% to 24,836.60. The Dow fell 79.61 points, or 0.16%, to 49,230.71. (cnbc.com) Intel drove much of the move. Its stock surged 23.6% after the chipmaker reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $13.6 billion, non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.29, and a second-quarter revenue outlook of $13.8 billion to $14.8 billion. (intc.com) (cnbc.com) The rally spread across semiconductors. Reuters reported U.S. chip stocks hit record highs, and The Wall Street Journal said the semiconductor index logged a record 18th straight gain. (usnews.com) (wsj.com) That left the market looking stronger at the index level than beneath the surface. A handful of large technology and chip names carried the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher while the price-weighted Dow lagged. (apnews.com) (cnbc.com) Investors were also trading around geopolitics and energy prices. Associated Press said oil kept swinging as traders watched what might happen next in the Iran war, while CNBC said hopes for renewed U.S.-Iran talks supported risk appetite. (apnews.com) (cnbc.com) The records capped a fourth straight winning week for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, according to Investopedia’s market recap. That extended a run in which investors kept paying up for growth and artificial-intelligence-linked chip demand. (investopedia.com) (intc.com) Friday’s close put Wall Street in an unusual place: record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, and a down day for the Dow. The difference was Intel, chips, and a rally that stayed concentrated. (cnbc.com) (wsj.com)