Friday, 31 July 2026: US equity markets rebounded strongly from a sharp sell-off a day earlier

US equity markets rebounded strongly from a sharp sell-off a day earlier following the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy meeting, with a broader pivot back to risk – Dow +614-points or +1.19% a day after booking worst one-day decline since April 2025. Microsoft Corp soared +15.51% to book its biggest daily percentage gain in 18-years, adding +US$450B to its market capitalisation after management of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ mega-capitalisation technology stock forecast an acceleration in cloud growth for the current quarter after close of the previous session. Goldman Sachs Group Inc rallied +4.5%, while Boeing Co (+3.22%) and Caterpillar Inc (+3.38%) rose over >3%. However, Salesforce Inc -4.07%, snapping a four-session losing streak amid a broader sell-off for software stocks following a recent resurgence.The broader S&P500 +1.66%, with Information Technology (up +5.24%) leading six of the eleven primary sectors higher. Communication Services (down -2.52%) and Consumer Staples (-2.24%) fell over >2%.