Dow hits record but chips slide in quiet trade ahead of July 4 break

Nasdaq futures up, chip rotation risk in focus

NEW YORK, July 6, 2026, 04:14 (EDT)

  • Nasdaq futures jumped 1.06% early Monday, ahead of S&P 500 futures up 0.48% and Dow futures up 0.21%.
  • The Dow finished at a record high on Thursday, but the Nasdaq slipped 0.8% as chip stocks dropped.
  • OPEC+ agreed to boost oil supply for August, easing a key inflation concern ahead of the Fed minutes out Wednesday.
  • PepsiCo , Delta Air Lines , and Samsung Electronics are first up as markets look at appetite, fuel costs, and margins on AI chips.

U.S. stock futures jumped early Monday, ahead of Wall Street’s return from the July Fourth holiday. Nasdaq futures outperformed Dow futures by 85 basis points, hinting at stronger demand for big tech and growth names after chips slipped last week. Google Finance tracked Dow futures up 0.21%, S&P 500 futures up 0.48% and Nasdaq futures ahead by 1.06%.

Market gaugeLatest moveRead-through
Dow futures+0.21%Edges higher after hitting all-time high in regular trade
S&P 500 futures+0.48%Traders lift the main index ahead of the bell
Nasdaq futures+1.06%Tech and growth names drive premarket move, not the broad tape
Crude oil-1.00%Some cost relief, inflation tick softer

The split is notable after the last cash session, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.14% to close at 52,900.07. The S&P 500 was little changed at 7,483.24. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.80% to 25,832.67. The Philadelphia semiconductor index shed 5.4% that session, but was still up around 78% for the year.

That’s what investors are watching: futures look steady, but traders are wondering if the AI rally is moving to new names instead of just restarting. The Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF jumped around 44% in Q2—its best quarter ever—then lost 6.6% in early July. The Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF dropped over 11% in the same early July stretch, MarketWatch reported.

Bruce Zaro, managing director at Granite Wealth Management, told Reuters investors are probably locking in gains in chip names after strong runs this year. Nvidia slipped 1.4% Thursday. SanDisk gave up 14.1%. Apple rose 4.8%, boosting the indexes.

Oil prices eased off as OPEC+ bumped up output targets by 188,000 barrels per day starting August. Reuters reported Brent dipped close to four-month lows, trading near $71.95 a barrel. Cheaper crude could support growth stocks if traders bet inflation risk is cooling for now.

The market remains split on the Fed. After softer jobs numbers and a drop in oil prices, futures put the odds at 78% for no move at the July 29 meeting, Reuters said. “We’re safe at least for another month,” said Richard Yetsenga, head of research at ANZ, who expects the Fed to stay put. Reuters

Tickmill strategist Patrick Munnelly called the Fed “the key macro hinge.” He said Wednesday’s minutes will give the first look at how the Warsh-led FOMC is debating policy. June payrolls rose by 57,000, missing forecasts. Odds of a July hike slipped to about 22% from 30% last week, according to MarketWatch. MarketWatch

EventTimingInvestor risk
ISM servicesMondayConsensus targets 54.0; strong print could put Fed hikes back on the table
Fed minutesWednesdayGauges how hawkish the committee was ahead of the oil drop
Samsung Electronics earningsTuesdayFirst main look at AI memory buying
PepsiCo earningsThursdayFocuses on pricing power and shopper trends
Delta Air Lines earningsFridayShows travel booking and if lower fuel costs help

Samsung is the main global chip readout right now. Analysts see the top memory chipmaker reporting operating profit at 86 trillion won for April-June, up 18 times from a year ago, based on an LSEG SmartEstimate cited by Reuters. In the U.S., Delta and PepsiCo will report ahead of the big banks next week.

There’s a risk that when the Nasdaq opens strong, it can mask weak breadth under the surface. If chip names see more profit-taking, even while big tech keeps its ground, the S&P 500 might stay steady but active portfolios could get hit by sharp moves across sectors. Frederic Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC, said food prices and soft local currencies were “keeping monetary officials on the defensive.” Reuters

Roman Perkowski is a senior markets reporter at TS2.tech, specializing in stocks, technology and macroeconomic trends. A graduate of the Cracow University of Economics, he previously worked in investment research and corporate finance. His coverage helps readers understand the key forces driving global financial markets and emerging industries. Follow Roman Perkowski on Google News.

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