{"id":62463,"date":"2026-05-28T14:07:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tech-and-retail-momentum-propel-s-costco-and-dell-earnings-in-focus\/62463\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:07:24","slug":"tech-and-retail-momentum-propel-s-costco-and-dell-earnings-in-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/tech-and-retail-momentum-propel-s-costco-and-dell-earnings-in-focus\/62463\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech and Retail Momentum Propel S&P 500 and Nasdaq Higher; Costco and Dell Earnings in Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. stock market is exhibiting a notable divergence during afternoon trading this Thursday, May 28, 2026. While the broader market is riding a wave of optimism fueled by the technology and retail sectors, the blue-chip heavy Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average is struggling to keep pace. Investors are balancing a busy morning of retail earnings with high-stakes technology reports scheduled for after the closing bell.<\/p>\n

Major Index Performance<\/h2>\n

As of mid-afternoon, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is the clear leader among the major averages. The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ<\/a>), which tracks the Nasdaq 100, is up 0.93%, buoyed by a resurgence in semiconductor and software names. The S&P 500<\/a>, represented by the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY<\/a>), has gained 0.58%, reflecting a generally positive sentiment across most sectors.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, tracked by the State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA<\/a>), is slightly underwater, down 0.05%. This underperformance is largely attributed to weakness in the financial and utility sectors. Meanwhile, small-cap stocks are showing signs of life, with the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM<\/a>) rising 0.65%, suggesting that market breadth is improving beyond just the "Magnificent Seven" tech giants.<\/p>\n

Sector Performance and Afternoon Activity<\/h2>\n

Sector-specific action is dominated by a massive rally in precious metals and retail. The VanEck Gold<\/a> Miners ETF (GDX<\/a>) has surged 2.68% as gold prices climb, with the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD<\/a>) up 1.38%. Silver<\/a> is performing even better, with the iShares Silver Trust (SLV<\/a>) gaining 1.71%.<\/p>\n

The retail sector is another standout performer today. The State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT<\/a>) is up 1.86% following a series of better-than-expected quarterly results from major brick-and-mortar players. Technology remains a pillar of strength, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK<\/a>) up 1.60%. On the downside, the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU<\/a>) is the day's laggard, falling 0.66%, followed by the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF<\/a>), which is down 0.44%.<\/p>\n

Major Stock News and Corporate Developments<\/h2>\n

The retail landscape was reshaped this morning by several key earnings releases. Best Buy Company, Inc. (BBY<\/a>) and Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL<\/a>) both provided updates that cheered investors, contributing to the sector's overall strength. Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR<\/a>) also reported its first-quarter results, a key metric for consumer spending health in the current inflationary environment.<\/p>\n

In the technology space, heavyweights continue to see significant volume. Microsoft Corp (MSFT<\/a>) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA<\/a>) remain central to the afternoon's trading narrative, as investors position themselves ahead of a massive wave of enterprise tech earnings. Micron Technology, Inc. (MU<\/a>) and Marvell Technology, Inc. (MRVL<\/a>) are also seeing active trading, despite slight fractional dips in price as the market digests recent gains in the semiconductor space.<\/p>\n

In the banking sector, several Canadian giants reported results this morning, including Royal Bank of Canada (RY<\/a>), Toronto Dominion Bank (TD<\/a>), and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM<\/a>). Their performance is being closely watched as a bellwether for the North American credit environment.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Market Events<\/h2>\n

All eyes are now turning toward the post-market session. Costco Wholesale Corp (COST<\/a>) is set to release its Q3 2026 earnings, which will provide critical insight into the resilience of the American consumer. Additionally, Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL<\/a>) will report first-quarter results, with investors eager to see if the AI-driven server boom continues to boost their bottom line. Other notable after-hours reports include Autodesk Inc (ADSK<\/a>), NetApp, Inc (NTAP<\/a>), and MongoDB, Inc. (MDB<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to next week, the market is bracing for results from semiconductor giant Broadcom Inc. (AVGO<\/a>) and cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD<\/a>), both of which have the potential to significantly shift market momentum. For now, the focus remains on whether the current afternoon rally can hold through the final hour of trading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. stock market is exhibiting a notable divergence during afternoon trading this Thursday, May 28, 2026. While the broader […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,6824],"tags":[14650,95,248,633,1220,3710,4223,4380,5043],"class_list":["post-62463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-market-update","category-featured","tag-retail-earnings","tag-nasdaq","tag-dell","tag-nvda","tag-cost","tag-federal-reserve","tag-inflation","tag-stock-market","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}