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US equity markets rallied, buoyed by fresh gains for the technology sector - Dow rose +189-points or +0.49% to snap a four session losing streak, with Apple Inc (up +1.97%) the leading performer in the 30-stock index after scrapping its “buy now, pay later” service, which it launched in the US only last year. The tech giant says it is pivoting to a new instalment loans service offered through third-party credit and debit cards. Merck & Co rose over >1% in after-hours trading (having declined -0.94% in the regular session) after receiving US regulatory approval for its next-generation vaccine (Capvaxive) to protect adults from pneumococcal disease, which is set to challenge Pfizer Inc’s (down -2%) blockbuster Prevnar shot

US equity markets settled mixed on Friday (14 June) to close out a big week of inflation updates and Federal Reserve interest rate forecasts, with the technology sector powering to fresh records - Dow fell for a fourth straight session, easing -58-points or -0.15%. Caterpillar Inc (down -1.50%) and Dow Inc (-1.86%) both fell 1.5%+ to be the worst performers in the 30-stock index on Friday (14 June).

US equity markets logged modest gains, with fresh gains for technology stocks lifting the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to their fourth consecutive record close - Dow eased -65-points or -0.17%, with Salesforce Inc (down -2.87%) and Amazon.com Inc (-1.64%) the worst performers in the 30-stock index. Boeing Co fell -1.08% said it has found improperly torqued fasteners on some of its undelivered 787 Dreamliners, the latest in a series of quality problems. The fastener problem does not make the wide-body plane unsafe to fly, and it has not stopped delivering the aircraft to customers. Apple Inc rose +0.55% to US$214.24, lifting the company’s market capitalisation to US$3.285 trillion to usurp Microsoft Corp (+0.12%, market cap US$3.282 trillion) as the most valuable US company. Apple hadn’t closed with a market cap above Microsoft’s since 24 January, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted record closing highs for a third straight session, buoyed by a softer-than-expected consumer inflation reading for May and signs that Federal Reserve officials could start to cut interest rates this year - Dow slipped -35-points or -0.09%. Apple Inc gained +2.86%, logging a record closing high (US$213.07) for a second straight session and settled US$12B shy of Microsoft Corp (+1.94%) in market capitalisation terms. Caterpillar Inc added +0.43% the board of the manufacturer of construction and mining equipment approved an additional US$20B in share buybacks and raised its dividend (by +US$0.11c to US$1.41). Nike Inc fell -2.28% after a European court dismissed its bid to trademark the term “Footware,” a portmanteau combining “foot” and “software” or “hardware.”

US equity markets ticked higher, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq logging fresh record closing highs ahead of US inflation figures and the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy decision later in the week - Dow added +69-points or +0.18%. Walmart Inc gained +1.64%, buoyed by an upgrade from analysts at Bank of America, who cited the potential benefits from “a new wave of tech diffusion.”   Apple Inc shed -1.91% after the company’s latest Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicked off overnight (running through until Friday night AEST (14 June)) with a with a demonstration of Apple Intelligence, the tech giant's highly anticipated custom artificial intelligence (AI) system built into the newest iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems.

US equity markets settled little changed ahead of the release of the key non-farm payrolls figures tonight AEST - Dow added +79-points or +0.20%, with Amazon.com Inc (up +2.05%) and Salesforce Inc (+2.63%) rising over >2%.

The broader S&P500 dipped -0.02%, with Utilities (1.03%), Industrials (-0.60%) and Information Technology (-0.47%) settling in the red.  Consumer Discretionary (up +0.97%) and Energy (+0.55%) both climbed over >0.50%. PayPal Inc rallied +5.49%, logging its largest single-day percentage increase since 19 January, after striking a bullish tone at an investor conference and as investors become more positive on the company’s new Fastline product.  Uber Technologies Inc gained +4.68% after competitor Lyft Inc (+1.03%) offered an optimistic forecast for future bookings at its first investor day.