US stock markets closed the first half of 2026 on a positive note, with major indices recording gains on Wednesday to kick off the third quarter.
The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1%, underscoring the continued dominance of technology hardware and semiconductor names in the rally.
The performance was uneven across sectors.
While hardware giants like ASML helped drive the Nasdaq higher, software titles underperformed the broader market.
The divergence highlights a rotation within the tech sector, where investors favored companies with tangible revenue streams and capital expenditure visibility over pure-play software names.
Alternative assets also struggled during the period.
Gold, silver, and Bitcoin all fell, suggesting that risk appetite remained concentrated in high-quality equities rather than spilling over into commodities or digital assets.