Nasdaq closed -0.07%, S&P 500 -0.13%, Dow -0.27%

Nasdaq closed -0.07%, S&P 500 -0.13%, Dow -0.27%

The U.S. equity markets closed mixed on Tuesday, September 12, 2025, with the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) declining by 0.07%, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) falling by 0.13%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipping by 0.27% .

The day's performance was driven by several key factors. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite benefited from a strong rally in technology and AI-linked equities, with Oracle (ORCL) leading the charge. Oracle's shares surged more than 42% to $344.72, marking its best session in decades, after the company revealed plans to hit $144 billion in Cloud Infrastructure revenue by 2030 .

The Oracle announcement sparked a chain reaction in chip stocks, with Nvidia (NVDA) rallying nearly 5%, AMD (AMD) jumping 3.4%, and Broadcom (AVGO) surging more than 9% . This optimism was fueled by the expectation that hyperscale AI demand would drive semiconductor capital spending for years. Oracle itself plans to raise capital expenditures to $35 billion in fiscal 2026, underscoring its GPU procurement plans .

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was weighed down by declines in more cyclical and consumer-oriented names. Chewy (CHWY), for instance, plunged 15.7% after reporting diluted EPS of just $0.14, down from $0.68 a year earlier, despite revenue growth of 8.6% to $3.1 billion .

Markets also reacted positively to signs of cooling inflation, with the Producer Price Index (PPI) dropping 0.1% in August, against expectations of a 0.3% increase . This reading reinforces the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September, with Fed futures now pricing a 100% probability of a cut, with nearly 90% odds for a 25 bps move and a growing 10% chance of a jumbo 50 bps cut .

Dow Inc. (DOW), a materials science company, also saw a decline of 3.47% on the day, lagging the S&P 500's 0.47% gain. The company's upcoming earnings report, scheduled for October 23, 2025, is expected to show a significant drop in EPS, with a projected -$0.28 per share, a 159.57% decline compared to the same quarter of the previous year .

In summary, the U.S. equity markets closed mixed on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 benefiting from technology and AI-linked equities, while the Dow was weighed down by declines in more cyclical and consumer-oriented names. The cooling inflation data also provided a boost to market sentiment.