NEW YORK / Content Syndication Services / – The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed the second quarter with their strongest quarterly gains since 2020, extending a broad U.S. stock market advance through the final trading day of June. The S&P 500 gained 14.9 percent for the quarter, while the Nasdaq rose 21.4 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed about 13 percent, marking its strongest quarterly rise since 2022.
U.S. stocks also ended higher on Tuesday, June 30. The S&P 500 rose 58.93 points, or 0.8 percent, to 7,499.36. The Nasdaq Composite added 393.58 points, or 1.5 percent, to 26,213.72. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 136.46 points, or 0.3 percent, to 52,319.20, giving it another record close.
The quarter’s gains came after a strong first half for major U.S. equity benchmarks. The S&P 500 finished the first six months of 2026 up 9.6 percent. The Nasdaq Composite rose 12.8 percent year to date, while the Dow added 8.9 percent. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies ended Tuesday at 3,024.37 after rising 0.5 percent for the session.
Technology shares lead market gains
Technology stocks led the S&P 500 sectors on the last day of the quarter. Semiconductor shares also advanced, with a leading chip index ending Tuesday up 3.9 percent. Gains in artificial intelligence related stocks supported the Nasdaq, which has a heavy weighting in large technology companies and growth shares.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq still recorded losses for June after strong gains in April and May. The monthly decline followed swings in major technology shares and concerns over high valuations in parts of the market. Even so, the second quarter ended as the best three-month stretch for both indexes since the market rebound in 2020.
Indexes close first half higher
The S&P 500, maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices, tracks 500 large U.S. companies and remains a key benchmark for U.S. equities. The index covers about 80 percent of available U.S. market capitalization. Its second-quarter rise reflected gains across large-cap stocks, with technology among the strongest areas at quarter end.
The Nasdaq Composite, listed by Nasdaq, closed the first half with the strongest year-to-date gain among the three major U.S. indexes. Treasury yields moved higher on Tuesday, while oil prices eased. Stock indexes also rose across much of Europe and Asia, adding to a positive global market finish for the final session of the quarter.