The S&P 500 (+0.3%), Nasdaq Composite (+0.6%), and DJIA (+0.4%) captured modest gains as tech and mega-cap names traded higher, though action was choppy throughout the session and stocks finished well off of their morning highs. 

The top-weighted information technology sector (+0.8%) provided solid leadership from the open, supported by strength across its mega-cap components. NVIDIA (NVDA 181.29, +1.37, +0.76%) saw its second consecutive day of strength, while Apple (AAPL 286.19, +3.09, +1.09%) and Microsoft (MSFT 490.00, +3.26, +0.67%) also captured nice gains. 

Meanwhile, Intel (INTC 43.47, +3.46, +8.65%) finished with the widest gain in the sector, contributing to a 1.8% advance in the PHLX Semiconductor Index. 

Gains in mega-cap and tech stocks were crucial to today's index-level advance. A late-morning slide in equities saw the technology sector's gain eroded to just 0.3%, which briefly sent the S&P 500 below its flatline before recovering nicely. 

Mega-cap strength also underpinned the gains in the communication services (+0.4%) sector and dictated the standing of the consumer discretionary sector (flat). Both sectors oscillated around their flatlines following swings in their mega-cap components. Meta Platforms (META 647.10, +6.23, +0.97%) was a standout, while Amazon (AMZN 234.42, +0.54, +0.23%) was particularly volatile, trading over 2.0% higher before finishing with just a modest gain. 

All told, the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (+0.5%) notched a solid gain, though the gap between the market-weighted S&P 500 (+0.3%) and the S&P 500 Equal Weighted Index (+0.1%) wound up being much slimmer than it was when the major averages were at session highs. 

Meanwhile, the industrials sector (+0.9%) was more resilient to volatility today and ended up with the widest gain of the three S&P 500 sectors that finished in positive territory. Boeing (BA 205.41, +18.95, +10.16%) was the best-performing S&P 500 name today, capturing a double-digit gain after positive commentary from its investor presentation at a UBS conference this morning. The company expects increased deliveries for both its 737 and 787 models and expects low single-digit growth in free cash flow in FY26. 

The financials sector (-0.1%) traded higher for much of the session but slipped below its flatline just before the close. Robinhood Markets (HOOD 125.95, +2.71, +2.20%) and Coinbase Global (COIN 263.26, +3.42, +1.32%) both traded higher as Bitcoin recovered from yesterday's sell-off, reaching a peak above $92,000 this afternoon.

Losses in the five other retreating S&P 500 sectors were relatively modest, with the exception of the energy sector (-1.1%), which faced pressure amid a falling price of oil that saw crude oil futures settle today's session $0.71 lower (-1.2%) at $58.67 per barrel.

While not components of the S&P 500, MongoDB (MDB 401.99, +73.12, +22.23%) and Credo Technology Group (CRDO 188.44, +17.31, +10.12%) traded sharply higher after solid beat-and-raise earnings reports, which added to the positive sentiment across the technology sector and bodes well for other tech names set to report earnings this week. 

Though stocks finished well off of their session highs from this morning, the major averages were able to notch a modestly higher finish after stocks retreated to start the month yesterday. The information technology sector was back in the driver's seat today, and its ability to maintain a gain through to the close despite some intraday volatility was a positive sign given recent uneasiness in the sector amid valuation and AI expenditure concerns. 

U.S. Treasuries finished Tuesday with modest gains across the curve, halting their two-day slide from one-month highs. The 2-year note yield settled down two basis points to 3.52%, and the 10-year note yield settled down one basis point to 4.09%. 

The market did not receive any domestic data, but tomorrow will feature a full slate of data, including the November ADP Employment Change (Briefing.com consensus 20,000; prior 42,000) at 8:15 ET and November ISM Services (Briefing.com consensus 52.4%; prior 52.4%) at 10:00 ET.

• Nasdaq Composite: +21.3% YTD
• S&P 500: + 16.1% YTD
• DJIA: +11.6% YTD
• Russell 2000: +10.5% YTD
• S&P Mid Cap 400: +5.1% YTD