IXIC: Nasdaq Composite Logs New Record Close Despite Pullbacks in Meta, Microsoft

Tech-heavy index powered through a session slump and not even deep declines in two tech giants could stop it from settling at a new all-time high.

📈 Nasdaq Defies Broader Retreat

• The Nasdaq Composite IXIC added 0.4% Thursday to close at a record 21,242.70, marking yet another milestone in what’s been a dominant week for the tech-heavy benchmark.
• It overcame pullbacks over at the Mag 7 corner with Meta META wiping out 1.3% and Microsoft MSFT shedding 0.8%.
• The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% to finish the cash session at 6,339.99, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 224 points, or 0.5%, to 43,969.12, after flipping between gains and losses during regular trading.
• Sector flows told the story: utilities, materials, and consumer staples saw steady inflows, while health care and financials took a breather, with bank stocks particularly sluggish after a week of volatile rate expectations.

🍏 Apple Drops the $100 Billion Extra

• Apple stock AAPL surged 3%, following a 5% Wednesday pop, after announcing plans to funnel an additional $100 billion into US manufacturing over the next four years.
• That’s on top of a $500 billion pledge in February, bringing the total US investment commitment to $600 billion — a move widely seen as both a supply-chain security play and a political crowd-pleaser (mostly one person, not a full crowd).
• The spending will include expanding partnerships with component makers like Corning GLW, with Apple noting that “every iPhone and Apple Watch sold around the world” will soon feature Kentucky-made cover glass.

🌍 Tariffs Fade into the Background

• The White House confirmed that starting Thursday, new tariffs were rolling out on nations without trade pacts with the US, but Wall Street mostly shrugged. Traders have been quick to price in geopolitical noise lately, especially when earnings season is still delivering strong beats.
• Over at the forex corner, the US dollar gave up some of its weekly gains Friday morning with the euro adding a few pips against the greenback. The sterling was also higher after the Bank of England on Thursday cut interest rates for the fifth time in a year.
• Still, the week’s scoreboard looks solid: Nasdaq up 2.9%, S&P 500 up 1.6%, and Dow up 0.9% heading into Friday. If the momentum holds, this could mark the Nasdaq’s best week since late June.