NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – U.S. stocks rose sharply Monday as large technology companies advanced and crude oil prices fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 693.38 points, or 1.32%, to close at a record 53,178.41. The S&P 500 climbed 1.48% to 7,600.50. The Nasdaq Composite added 2.13% and finished at 25,913.90. The rally gave Wall Street a broad and positive start to August.
Technology and communication services shares led the advance across major indexes. Meta Platforms and Alphabet helped lift the S&P 500 communication services sector by 4.3%. Amazon gained 4.6% after its market value crossed $3 trillion for the first time. A fund that tracks seven major technology companies rose nearly 4%. Strong demand for the largest growth stocks pushed the Nasdaq ahead of the Dow and S&P 500.
Crude oil recorded one of the session’s largest market moves. Brent crude fell 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel. President Donald Trump said the United States would delay further strikes against Iran. He also said discussions would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran disputed that formal talks had been scheduled. The decline in energy prices reduced immediate inflation pressure and supported gains in both stocks and government bonds.
Technology shares lead broad advance
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell to about 4.68% as bond prices increased. Lower yields supported technology companies because interest rates affect borrowing costs and equity valuations. Investors also monitored comments from the Federal Reserve and awaited new labor market figures. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said inflation pressures should ease gradually. Energy stocks moved in the opposite direction and fell 1.2%, making them the weakest S&P 500 sector.
Smaller companies joined the rally, showing that gains extended beyond the largest technology names. The Russell 2000 advanced 1.7% to close at 2,981.91. Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by 2.62 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange. On the Nasdaq, the ratio reached 3.01 to 1. Total U.S. market volume reached 19.36 billion shares. That exceeded the 20-day average of 17.66 billion shares.
Strong earnings support investor demand
Corporate results provided another source of support for U.S. equities. Among 304 S&P 500 companies that had reported through Friday, estimated quarterly earnings growth reached 29.3%. About 85.2% of those companies exceeded analyst expectations, based on LSEG market data. The strong reporting season helped sustain demand for shares across several industries. Marriott International fell 7% after issuing a third-quarter profit forecast below market expectations, placing it among Monday’s largest decliners.
The Dow’s record close marked a strong opening session for August after uneven trading during July. The S&P 500 ended within 0.1% of its all-time high. The Nasdaq extended its annual gain as technology shares continued to lead the market. Through Monday, the Dow had risen 10.6% in 2026. The S&P 500 had gained 11%, while the Nasdaq had advanced 11.5%. Lower oil prices and solid earnings shaped the session’s broad market gains.