Here's a full summary of **what happened in the stock market on Wednesday, July 29, 2026**: --- ## 📉 Major Indexes — Sharp Sell-Off | Index | Close | Change | % Change | |-------|-------|--------|----------| | **Dow Jones Industrial Average** | 51,594 | **-1,153 points** | **-2.19%** | | **S&P 500** | 7,316 | **-113 points** | **-1.52%** | | **Nasdaq Composite** | 24,443 | **-434 points** | **-1.74%** | - The Dow had its **worst day in 15 months** (since April 2025) - The Nasdaq fell for its **6th straight session** — the Nasdaq 100 entered **correction territory** (down 10% from its June high) - Retail investors recorded the **largest net selling of individual stocks since the COVID crash** (per Vanda Research) --- ## 🔑 Key Drivers ### 1. Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady (Hawkish Decision) - The Fed kept interest rates unchanged in a **9-3 vote** — three officials voted for a *rate hike* - Chair **Kevin Warsh** said the central bank would be "resolute" in getting inflation down to 2% - Markets now see a **54% chance of a rate hike in September** (down from 79% before the meeting) - The **10-Year Treasury yield** rose to ~4.67–4.70% ### 2. Middle East Tensions / Oil Surge - **Iran launched a surprise ballistic missile attack** on U.S. forces in the Middle East - President Trump threatened to hit Iran "hard" / "they're going to get a beating" - **Oil prices jumped sharply**: WTI crude +7.4% to $85.10/bbl; Brent +8.2% to ~$91/bbl - Energy stocks (Exxon, Chevron) were among the few gainers ### 3. Semiconductor / AI Jitters - South Korea's KOSPI index dropped **6%** amid chip sector weakness - Semiconductor ETFs: **DRAM -6%, SOXX -5%** - **Micron** and **Sandisk** were among biggest S&P 500 decliners --- ## 🏆 Biggest Movers | Stock | Move | Notes | |-------|------|-------| | **GE HealthCare (GEHC)** | **+12%** | Post-earnings surge | | **Caterpillar (CAT)** | **-6.91%** | Analyst downgrade | | **Vertiv Holdings (VRT)** | **-17%** | Sharp drop | | **Seagate (STX)** | **+2%** | Better-than-expected earnings | | **Ford (F)** | **+2%** | Post-earnings gain | | **Microsoft (MSFT)** | **-0.7%** | Ahead of earnings after bell | | **Meta (META)** | **-1.3%** | Ahead of earnings after bell | --- ## 🏅 Other Notable Markets - **Gold**: Rose **+0.8%** to ~$4,070/oz (up 0.27% to $4,049 per Motley Fool) - **Bitcoin**: ~$63,800, little changed - **U.S. Dollar Index**: Fell **-0.5%** to 100.90 - **Berkshire Hathaway**: Reached a record **$397 billion cash pile** — seen as a cautious signal --- **In short:** A brutal day on Wall Street driven by a **hawkish Fed** (rate hike votes, no cuts) and **soaring geopolitical risk** after Iran's missile attack on U.S. forces, which sent oil prices spiking and stocks tumbling across the board.