NextFin News - U.S. Stock Market Daily Report — 2026-01-21
The U.S. stock market closed broadly higher as investors favored cyclical and growth-sensitive names, producing an upbeat risk-on tone and broad participation across sectors.
The S&P 500 closed at 6,875.62, up 78.76 points (+1.16%). The Nasdaq 100 finished at 23,224.82, up 270.50 points (+1.18%). The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 49,077.23, up 588.64 points (+1.21%).
Sector performance
Energy and materials led the advance, with cyclical sectors and technology also contributing; defensive sectors were largely flat to slightly positive.
- Energy (XLE): +2.43% to 48.76
- Materials (XLB): +2.18% to 49.24
- Consumer Discretionary (XLY): +1.91%
- Healthcare (XLV): +1.84%
- Technology (XLK): +1.39% to 143.81
- Utilities (XLU): +0.14%, Consumer Staples (XLP): +0.07%, Real Estate (XLRE): +0.36%
Notable stock moves
- Apple (AAPL): closed at $247.65, up $0.95 (+0.39%) on volume 54,124,462; reported market-cap 36,399.41, approx. change +141.96.
- Tesla (TSLA): $431.44, up $12.19 (+2.91%) on 67,227,311 shares; reported market-cap 14,348.91, approx. change +417.55.
- Nvidia (NVDA): $183.18, up $5.11 (+2.87%) on 198,215,846 shares; reported market-cap 44,521.90, approx. change +1,277.78.
- Microsoft (MSFT): $444.11, down $10.41 (-2.29%) on 37,509,232 shares; reported market-cap 33,007.93, approx. change -755.88.
- Amazon (AMZN): $231.30, +0.13% on 46,552,349 shares; reported market-cap 24,726.47, approx. change +32.14.
- Alphabet (GOOGL): $328.38, up +1.98% on 35,019,374 shares; reported market-cap 39,625.61, approx. change +784.59.
- Meta (META): $612.96, up +1.46% on 14,240,777 shares; reported market-cap 15,449.83, approx. change +225.50.
Drivers and news
There were no specific, high-confidence company press releases or earnings-driven headlines captured in the market-news feed used for this report; price moves appear driven primarily by broad sector rotation and intraday risk appetite. Microsoft’s pullback contrasted with strength in chip names and cyclicals.
On macroeconomic matters, markets traded with an eye on inflation and the Federal Reserve policy outlook. The external news feed for policy and economic releases was unavailable at the time of publication, so no confirmed new CPI/PPI, jobs, or GDP releases were retrieved for this session.
Policy and geopolitical developments — including U.S.-China trade and regulatory scrutiny of large tech firms — remain key watch items, though no new Fed statements, major SEC actions, or election-related items were available from the feed when this report was compiled.
Overall, the session featured broad-based gains led by energy, materials and cyclicals, with heavy volume in large-cap tech and chip names. Monitor upcoming macro releases and central-bank communications for potential changes in market direction.
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