Wall Street kicked off the new trading week on a broadly positive note, with all three major indexes finishing in the green as investors leaned into renewed optimism around global trade. Reports over the weekend suggested U.S. and Chinese officials had reached a temporary framework to ease tariffs on select categories of goods, giving risk assets a meaningful boost at the open that largely held through the close.
Technology was the clear standout sector Monday. Nvidia led the charge with a gain of over 4%, dragging the broader Nasdaq to outperform its peers. Semiconductor names across the board caught a bid, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index adding nearly 2.5% on the session. Investors who had been cautiously positioned through the spring volatility used today's macro tailwind as a reason to rotate back into high-growth names.
Not everything participated in the rally. Healthcare was the lone S&P 500 sector to finish lower, weighed down heavily by UnitedHealth Group, which slid nearly 4% on fresh regulatory headwinds. The news was a reminder that even in bullish tape, company-specific and political risks can carve out painful exceptions. Defensive sectors like utilities and consumer staples also underperformed, as money flowed toward cyclicals.
Gold remained elevated near $3,185 an ounce, reflecting lingering macro uncertainty despite the day's risk-on tone. Oil edged up to $79.60 a barrel. The VIX settled around 18, down from last week's highs, suggesting the market's anxiety is cooling — but not gone.