U.S. stocks ticked up on Tuesday, with investors closely watching for potential progress in ongoing U.S.-China trade negotiations taking place in London.

By midday in New York, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were both up 0.4%, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq reaching levels last seen on Feb. 21 — now just 1.5% below its record high.

Small caps extended their recent outperformance versus large caps for a fourth straight session. The Russell 2000 is now testing key resistance at its 200-day moving average, a closely watched technical level.

Among sectors, energy led the gains, fueled by rising crude and gasoline prices. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed nearly 1% to $66 per barrel, the highest since April 4, 2025, amid an improving demand outlook.

In commodities, momentum faded outside of oil. Silver slipped 0.7% after recent strong gains, while gold held steady at $3,320 an ounce and copper remained flat.

Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar were little changed in a quiet session for economic data, as investors look ahead to Wednesday's Consumer Price Index report for May.

Economists expect inflation to accelerate to 2.5% year-over-year from April's 2.3%, potentially snapping a four-month cooling trend and influencing expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Futures markets continue to price in two rate cuts by year-end.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin BTC/USD dipped about 1% to $109,000, hovering roughly 2% below its all-time high.

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Tuesday’s Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

• The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY inched 0.4% up to $601.89.
• The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA edged 0.2% higher to $429.38.
• The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ rose 0.4% to $532.62.
• The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM soared 0.8% to $214.85.
• The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE outperformed, up 2.2%; the Industrials Select Sector SPDR Fund XLI lagged, down 0.4%.

Tuesday’s Stock Movers

• Caseys General Stores Inc. CASY rallied over 12% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings last quarter.
• J.M. Smucker Co. SJM plummeted 15% after missing revenue estimates.
• Gamestop Corp. GME, down 1.4%, will report earnings after the close.

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