Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 29, 2026.
NYSE
The Japanese yen weakened to a fresh 40-year low against the dollar on Wednesday, while Dow futures slipped on Tuesday night after the 30-stock index posted its best first half in five years.
The yen fell to162.28 per dollar, data from LSEG showed, extending losses from the previous session as traders remained alert for possible intervention by Japanese authorities.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 83 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were trading around the flatline.
During the day’s regular session, all three major averages rose to close out a strong first half of 2026. The blue-chip Dow added 136.46 points, or 0.26%. The S&P 500 gained 0.79%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.52%.
In the first six months of 2026, the Dow notched a rise of 8.9%, marking its best first-half performance since 2021. In the same time period, the broad market S&P 500 rose 9.6% and the Nasdaq climbed 12.8%. The small-cap Russell 2000 surged nearly 22% to clinch its best first-half performance since 1991.
A surge in chip and AI-related names has been driving the stock market, with Tuesday’s gains partly due to a rise in chip stocks. In fact, a record chip rally added $2 trillion in combined market capitalization to Micron, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices in the second quarter of 2026.
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.79%, while the broader Topix gained 1.07%. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.52%, but the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.42%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, trading 0.05% lower. Hong Kong markets are closed for the holiday.
The CSI 300 was flat at the open.
Heading into the second half of the year, Paul Hickey, Bespoke Investment Group co-founder, said that he still likes the sector, but it may be getting a bit too hot.
“Over the long term, we still like the semis, but I wouldn’t be aggressive towards it here. This bull market is an AI-driven bull market, that’s the theme. If this bull market is going to continue, it’s going to be led by tech and probably semis, but they don’t have to beat consistently, and you can’t go in that kind of pattern for good,” he said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” Tuesday afternoon. “So I think in that respect they’ve gotten a little bit…extended. So I would maybe take a breather here.”
On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh will speak at the European Central Bank Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal. Since taking the helm, Warsh has set out to remake the U.S. central bank through the adoption of new task forces that will comprehensively review the Fed’s current strategies to define modern monetary policy. Traders have also been anticipating that the central bank could be poised to hike interest rates in the ongoing battle against inflation.
In terms of economic data due Wednesday, traders will watch out for the latest reading on June’s ADP employment survey, alongside June’s ISM manufacturing and final global PMI manufacturing readings.
