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S&P 500 closes lower as Nvidia pulls down tech sector, Dow briefly touches record: Live updates

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 12, 2025.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters

The S&P 500 pulled back on Tuesday, weighed down by Nvidia shares and a broad decline in technology stocks.

The broad market S&P 500 lost 0.59% and closed at 6,411.37, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.46% to settle at 21,314.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 10.45 points, or 0.02%, and ended at 44,922.27. The 30-stock index touched a fresh record high during the session, powered by a pop in Home Depot.

Shares of megacap tech and big-name chipmakers declined. Nvidia shares lost 3.5%, while Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom slipped 5.4% and 3.6%, respectively. Shares of high-flying software stock Palantir dropped more than 9%, making it the S&P 500's worst performer. Other major tech-related names such as Tesla, Meta Platforms and Netflix were also under pressure.

"The AI trade may not be breaking, but it could be catching its breath. After a 40%+ run for the NASDAQ since April, historically a pause is normal as the market recalibrates around the latest economic data and anticipated Fed policy," said Jayson Bronchetti, chief investment officer at Lincoln Financial.

"As capital shifts toward companies across more sectors who demonstrate an ability to apply AI to boost margins and efficiency, potential rotation and wider participation may underpin a more durable advance, though near-term chop is likely," Bronchetti added.

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Nasdaq intraday chart

Home Depot shares rose 3% after the home improvement giant maintained its full-year outlook. To be sure, its second-quarter earnings came in below expectations. Investors await earnings from Lowe's, Walmart and Target due later this week for insight on how the consumer is faring amid a mixed inflation outlook and evolving U.S. trade policy.

Wall Street is also looking for clues from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as to what will happen at the central bank's remaining policy meetings this year. Central bank officials from around the globe will convene this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the Fed's annual economic symposium.

The fed funds futures market is indicating an 85% chance for a quarter-point rate cut at the Fed's next policy meeting in September, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

"Friday's Jackson Hole speech is likely an inflection point for markets as we believe Jerome Powell will signal that rate cuts are likely at the upcoming September meeting," said Stephen Schwartz, founding partner of wealth management firm Pioneer Financial.

"Valuations may even have more room to expand as we move into the back half of 2025 as investors will at that time start to price-in at 2026 earnings, which are expected to improve thanks to the potential for lower interest rates and improved tariff policy clarity," he added.

S&P 500 closes in the red

A decline in tech stocks pressured the market during Tuesday's trading session.

The S&P 500 slid 0.59% to close at 6,411.37. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 1.46% to settle the session at 21,314.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 10.45 points, or 0.02%, ending at 44,922.27.

— Pia Singh

Hedge funds' net purchase of stocks was the largest in 7 weeks, Goldman says

Hedge funds net bought U.S. stocks last week at the fastest pace in seven week as the broader market hit a record high, according to data from Goldman Sachs' prime brokerage.

The buying was driven by macro products, or securities tied to economic events, Goldman said.

Fund managers rotated out of defensive stocks — health care, staples and utilities — after buying the group for six week in a row, Goldman said.

— Yun Li

Loop Capital raises Amazon price target

Amazon's cloud segment could drive more growth for the e-commerce stock from here, according to Loop Capital.

Loop reiterated its buy rating on Amazon stock in a Monday note, and raised its price target to $300 per share from $290. The firm's forecast implies about 30% upside from Monday's $231.49 close.

"AWS has yet to hit its gen-AI inflection in revenue growth. While delivering its 2nd best quarter ever for incremental margin and calling out capacity constraints, its two competitors saw meaningful growth acceleration last quarter," analyst Rob Sanderson said. "We [think] this is because of a longer capex cycle, customer concentration (OpenAI is an outsized contributor to Azure) and perhaps a somewhat later start in capacity expansion and that acceleration is coming in 2H and in 2026."

Shares have gained about 6% in 2025.

— Brian Evans

Trump expands 50% steel and aluminum tariffs to include 407 additional product types

A worker uses a crane to lift a steel beam at Central Steel Supply Company in Marlborough, Massachusetts on March 13, 2025.
Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images

The Trump administration quietly expanded its 50% steel and aluminum tariffs to include more than 400 additional product categories, vastly increasing the reach and impact of this arm of its trade agenda.

The new tariffs, which took effect Monday, expand the scope of the levies that President Donald Trump previously announced on the valuable commodities. The tariff list now covers products like fire extinguishers, machinery, construction materials and specialty chemicals that either contain, or are contained in, aluminum or steel.

Economists have warned this could further strain U.S. consumers and the supply chain. For more, read here.

— Erin Doherty

Brazil stocks slide

Brazilian stocks were sharply lower on Tuesday, with the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) on pace for its worst day in over a month.

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The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ)

The ETF was last lower by about 2.2%, it's worst day since July 18 when it lost more than 3%.

— Brian Evans, Gina Francolla

UnitedHealth, Nvidia are among the stocks making Tuesday's biggest midday moves

Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images

These are some of the stocks making the biggest moves in midday trading Tuesday.

  • Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Palantir Technologies – Investors took profits in some of this year's high-flying tech stocks. Nvidia shares dropped nearly 3%, while AMD fell close to 5%. Palantir lost 7%.
  • Strategy, Robinhood and Mara Holdings – Crypto-linked stocks dipped on Tuesday as bitcoin pulled back more than 2%. Bitcoin proxy Strategy and trading app maker Robinhood fell roughly 6% each. Bitcoin miners Mara Holdings and Riot Platforms lost more than 5% and 2%, respectively.
  • UnitedHealth – The health insurance giant slid more than 2% following back-to-back winning days. The stock had seen a recent resurgence after Warren Buffett revealed a stake of 5 million shares in UnitedHealth, valued at about $1.6 billion. On Friday, the stock posted a nearly 12% advance for its best day since 2020.

For the full list, read here.

— Pia Singh

Viking Therapeutics shares slide on disappointing obesity pill trial data

Shares of Viking Therapeutics plunged more than 42% on Tuesday after the company released midstage trial data on its obesity pill that failed to impress investors.

Viking's market cap now sits at about $2.7 billion, down from more than $4 billion on Monday.

Viking's trial data results could be a blow to the company, which was once seen as a hot M&A target as pharmaceutical companies scramble to join the booming market for obesity and diabetes drugs. It could reinforce the dominance of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the space, especially as they develop pills for weight loss that could enter the market years ahead of the tablet formulation of Viking's drug, VK2735. 

For more, read here.

— Annika Kim Constantino

Dow Jones Industrial Average touches fresh high Tuesday

The Dow Industrials rose more than 100 points on Tuesday morning, touching a fresh all-time high of 45,207.39. 

This latest advance took out the 30-stock index's prior high from Friday. Investors will watch to see whether the Dow is able to end the session above its record closing level of 45,014.04 from Dec. 4, 2024.

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average over the past day

Home Depot helped lift the blue-chip average to its latest record, with shares rising about 4% as the home improvement retailer maintained its full-year guidance. Home Depot said it sees full-year total sales growing by 2.8% and comparable sales rising around 1%. Fiscal second quarter results on the top and bottom lines fell short of Wall Street's expectations, however.

—Darla Mercado, Nick Wells

Nvidia developing new chip for China more powerful than H20, report says

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, speaks during the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, on June 11, 2025.
Gonzalo Fuentes | Reuters

Nvidia is developing a new chip for China that's set to be more powerful than the H20 model it's currently allowed to sell there, according to a Reuters report that cited two people briefed on the matter.

The chip stock was slightly higher in premarket trading, up 0.1%.

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Nvidia, over one day

— Sarah Min

Dow opens higher on Tuesday

Shortly after 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the S&P 500 was less than 0.1% lower, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed about 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 87 points, or 0.2%.

— Pia Singh

Intel, Palo Alto Networks among the stocks making moves before the bell

Some stocks are making big moves in the premarket on Tuesday:

  • Intel – Shares of the chipmaker jumped around 6% after it was announced that SoftBank will make a roughly $2 billion investment in the company, paying $23 per share for Intel's common stock. This comes as the U.S. government reportedly has been considering taking a stake in Intel.
  • Palo Alto Networks – The cybersecurity stock gained more than 6% after the company's fiscal fourth-quarter results topped Wall Street's expectations. Palo Alto also posted better-than-expected first-quarter and full-year guidance and announced that its founder and chief technology officer, Nir Zuk, is retiring. The results lifted shares of other names in the space, with CrowdStrike, Zscaler and Fortinet all up around 1%.
  • Fabrinet – The stock dropped nearly 10%, even as its fiscal fourth-quarter results topped expectations. Its adjusted earnings of $2.65 per share just barely beat the $2.64 per share that analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. Its revenue of $909.7 million topped the consensus estimate of $883.1 million. Additionally, the company announced upbeat earnings and revenue guidance for the first quarter. Fabrinet's stock has climbed nearly 49% year to date.

Read here for the full list of stocks.

— Sean Conlon

Housing starts rise but permits post decline

Construction workers build a new home on a property which burned in the Eaton Fire on August 15, 2025 in Altadena, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images

New construction figures for July brought a mixed bag for the struggling U.S. housing market.

Privately owned starts totaled a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.428 million, up 5.2% from the upwardly revised June figure and well above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 1.29 million, according to Commerce Department figures Tuesday.

For building permits, though, the total of 1.354 million was 2.8% off the June pace and less than the 1.39 million estimate.

Housing completions totaled 1.415 million, a 6% increase from the prior month. Units under construction were little changed monthly at 1.36 million though down 12.4% from a year ago.

—Jeff Cox

Interviews for next Fed chair will begin after Labor Day, Bessent says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday he will begin interviewing candidates for Federal Reserve chair as soon as the White House whittles down what has suddenly become a crowded field.

"In terms of the interview process, we've announced 11 very strong candidates. I'm going to be meeting with them probably right after, Labor Day, and to start bringing down the list to present to President Trump," he said. "It's an incredible group."

— Jeff Cox

Home Depot still needs (and hopes for) more improvement

A customer pushes a shopping cart outside a Home Depot store in Palo Alto, California, US, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Home improvement retailer and Dow component Home Depot reported disappointing results earlier this morning. Second quarter earnings per share missed estimates by 3 cents, while revenues were slightly short of Wall Street's expectations. It was the first time since May 2014 that Home Depot simultaneously missed earnings and revenue estimates in the same quarter, according to data from LSEG.

It was also the retailer's second consecutive profit miss - something that hadn't happened since February 2008.

On the sales front, same-store sales rose 1.0%. That's just the second positive comps figure in eleven quarters. But that tepid growth came with a big caveat — a much lower bar for sales. Home Depot saw a 3.3% same-store sales drop in the year-ago quarter after a 2.0% contraction in the same quarter from 2 years ago.

Despite the disappointing second quarter performance, the company backed its entire full-year outlook — a forecast it first gave in February and then affirmed in May. The reaffirmation of Home Depot's sales, profit and margin projections is particularly noteworthy since that seems to imply the home improvement giant is betting on better results in the second half of this year after two straight profit misses in the first half.

— Robert Hum

Nexstar, Tegna shares pop on deal announcement

Shares of broadcasters Nexstar and Tegna rallied in premarket trading following Tuesday's announcement of an acquisition deal.

Nextstar agreed to acquire Tegna, a smaller competitor, for $3.54 billion. With the offer of $22 per share, Tegna investors will see about 9% upside over Monday's closing level.

Shares of Nexstar climbed more than 8% before the bell, while Tegna shares popped around 5%.

— Alex Harring, Reuters

Evercore ISI upgrades Caterpillar, forecasts 15% potential upside ahead

Homes under construction in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on Nov. 19, 2024.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Evercore ISI upgraded construction equipment company Caterpillar to outperform from in line on Monday. Shares gained 1.8% on the back of the firm's new rating.

The firm also raised its price target on Caterpillar to $476 per share from $373, which calls for more than 15% upside from Monday's $412.64 close, and added the stock to its five favorite stocks.

Analyst David Raso pointed to the company's volume leverage and geographic mix as a bright spot in a difficult construction segment overall, and said the U.S. is where "the end of machine destocking will be the most beneficial." More on this analyst call here in CNBC Pro.

— Pia Singh

Home Depot falls after earnings miss

Home Depot shares fell nearly 2% in the premarket on weaker-than-expected second-quarter results.

The home improvement giant earned an adjusted $4.68 per share on revenue of $45.28 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of $4.71 per share on revenue of $45.36 billion.

To be sure, the company maintained its full-year outlook.

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HD 5-day chart

— Fred Imbert

European defense stocks slide after Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

Ukrainian military personnel receive armored maneuver training on German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks at the Spanish army's training center of San Gregorio in Zaragoza on March 13, 2023.
Oscar Del Pozo | AFP | Getty Images

European shares were broadly higher on Tuesday morning, after U.S. President Donald Trump promised Ukraine "security guarantees" during talks in Washington on Monday — raising hopes that peace could be secured for Ukraine.

However, European defense shares moved lower on the back of the news, with the Stoxx Europe Aerospace and Defense index shedding 2.2% by 5:30 a.m. ET.

German tank parts manufacturer Renk was 7% lower, taking it to the bottom of the pan-European Stoxx 600 index. Italy's Leonardo, which was down 6.9%; Germany's Hensoldt, down 6.3%; and Sweden's Saab, which lost 5.9%, were among the worst performers in the sector.

— Chloe Taylor

SoftBank will invest $2 billion into Intel, chipmaker's shares rise

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank will invest $2 billion into Intel, according to an announcement from the two companies.

SoftBank will pay $23 per share of Intel's common stock. The chipmaker's shares ended Monday's regular session at $23.66. Intel jumped more than 5% in extended trading.

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Intel shares over the past day

Intel largely sat out last year's artificial intelligence boom among tech's heavy hitters, with shares dropping 60% in 2024. While the stock is up 18% in 2025, it still lags the VanEck Semiconductor ETF's (SMH) nearly 23% advance.

Read more about SoftBank's investment in Intel from CNBC's Kif Leswing here.

—Darla Mercado

Meta Platforms sees largest increase in short interest of any U.S. stock this year, S3 says

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes a keynote speech at the Meta Connect annual event, at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, Sept. 25, 2024.
Manuel Orbegozo | Reuters

Meta Platforms, which dropped 2.3% on Monday, has seen the largest increase in short interest of any U.S. stock this year, according to S3 Partners, which specializes in tracking the activity of short sellers, who try and profit from a decline in a company's stock price.

Meta's notional short interest has soared 75%, or $11 billion, so far in 2025, S3 said in a note Monday. The amount of Meta's shares sold short as a percentage of the total outstanding has jumped 38% in recent weeks, and 35% so far in 2025, the researcher said.

The second-largest increase in year-to-date notional short interest was in Palantir, which rose $2.8 billion, S3 said.

"META's 30% YTD stock price gain accounts for roughly half of the rise in short interest notional, with the remainder driven by new shorts. Reasons for shorting META include Heavy AI and Metaverse spending, Trade/Tariff Risks, Growth Slowdown, Higher Valuation and Weakening Ad Market," S3 said.

— Scott Schnipper

Palo Alto Networks jumps 5% after earnings beat

Shares of Palo Alto Networks jumped more than 5% in extended trading after the chipmaker's quarterly results topped Wall Street estimates and issued better-than-expected guidance for the first quarter and full year.

The results come weeks after Palo Alto announced plans to buy Israeli identity security provider CyberArk for $25 billion, its heftiest deal ever.

Palo Alto also said its founder and Chief Technology Officer Nir Zuk is retiring.

— Yun Li