US Stocks Close: Dow Strongly Rebounds 500 Points; Financial and Gold Stocks Lead; SpaceX Rises 5%

TradingKey - Despite rising U.S. Treasury yields, the U.S. August Composite PMI hit a four-year high, easing expectations of a cooling U.S. economy and driving a rebound in U.S. stocks. All three major indexes rose, with financial and gold stocks leading the gains.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.98% to 53,277.01; the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.43% to 26,180.45; and the S&P 500 Index advanced 0.43% to 7,674.37.

Tech Stock Performance

Tesla (TSLA) rose 5.14% to $362.86.

According to tech media outlet The Information, citing anonymous sources, Tesla plans to open test rides for Cybercab, its first steering-wheel-less and pedal-less autonomous taxi, to the public by the end of this month and officially connect it to its Robotaxi autonomous taxi network in Austin, Texas.

Among major tech stocks, Tesla (TSLA) rose 5.14%, SpaceX (SPCX) gained 2.22%, Google (GOOGL) rose 1.22%, Broadcom (AVGO) gained 1.21%, Meta Platforms (META) rose 0.75%, and Microsoft (MSFT) added 0.43%. Among decliners, Nvidia (NVDA) fell 0.97%, Apple (AAPL) slipped 0.63%, and Amazon (AMZN) dropped 0.57%.

[Source: FutuBull]

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 0.51% to 11,740.37 points. Among its 30 constituents, 12 advanced and 18 declined. Specifically, Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 5.57%, Arm Holdings (ARM) slipped 2.95%, and Intel (INTC) lost 2.24%.

Company News

Broadcom Seeks to Raise $70 Billion to $80 Billion in Debt to Support AI Companies Including Anthropic

According to media reports, Broadcom is in talks for a $70 billion to $80 billion debt financing deal to support artificial intelligence companies, including Anthropic, in procuring chips and related infrastructure. Sources said the financing currently under discussion includes about $45 billion in senior tranches and about $35 billion in subordinated tranches. Senior tranches take priority over subordinated tranches in repayment, though the specific amounts remain subject to adjustment. Bloomberg previously reported that the total transaction size could reach up to $100 billion if other financing arrangements are included.

Apple Cuts Jobs in Siri and Vision Pro Teams, Shifting Resources to AI and New Devices

Apple is laying off employees across several teams responsible for the Siri digital assistant and Vision Pro headset, as part of the company's effort to focus resources on new devices and artificial intelligence. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is also cutting jobs in the Intelligent System Experience team within its software engineering division, which handles certain AI features on company devices. The people said that as part of the adjustment, Apple largely shut down a team dedicated to Vision Pro gaming while downsizing the department responsible for producing immersive video content for the device. The layoffs affect more than 200 people in total, with about 100 roles eliminated in the Vision Pro division and another 100 cut in the Siri and software teams. In a statement, Apple acknowledged that it is making adjustments to some teams 'to drive the business forward and deliver the best experience for users.'

Nvidia Plans Major Investment in Data Center Power

According to media reports, Nvidia is in advanced talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a data center power developer. Cloverleaf provides reliable power and powered land for large-scale data center projects, with over 10 gigawatts of capacity in its project pipeline. The potential deal would expand Nvidia's push into AI infrastructure, helping to secure future data center capacity for its chips.

Industry & Macro News

Trump Backs AI Data Centers, Saying They Will Create Massive Jobs and Tax Revenue

U.S. President Donald Trump stated earlier that any governor or local government official should welcome the construction of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Trump said, "This will create a large number of construction jobs. We are building the largest facilities anywhere in the world. I can say that if I were the mayor of a city or the governor of a state, and I had the opportunity to land a major AI facility or data center, I would definitely want it to happen, because it creates a massive number of jobs, and the capital and tax revenue it brings are very substantial." Trump also noted that given that most Americans oppose building data centers in their own communities, the AI industry needs "a little PR help."

Dalio Warns of U.S. Debt Crisis Risk, Recommends Increasing Gold Allocation

Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio stated that investors should reduce bond holdings and allocate up to 15% of their capital to gold to hedge against the U.S. debt crisis risk he warned about. He cautioned that this crisis could erupt within three years. Dalio wrote in a post on Friday that investors should diversify across assets and different markets. He noted that reducing bond holdings and allocating about 10% to 15% of a portfolio to gold can both lower risk and enhance returns.

Iranian and Omani Foreign Ministers Discuss Resuming Strait of Hormuz Talks

The Oman News Agency reported that the foreign ministers of Oman and Iran discussed ways to create conditions for resuming negotiations regarding the Strait of Hormuz issue. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of continuing relevant dialogues to support the restoration of freedom of navigation and maintain regional security and stability.