S&P 500 Gains 0.33% as US Markets Add $330 Billion in Value

US equity markets closed higher on October 15, with the S&P 500 rising 0.33% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading gains at 1.08%, while the Nasdaq edged up 0.08%. Total US market capitalization increased by approximately $330 billion to $82.21 trillion, with net value creation across 494 S&P 500 constituents reaching $244 billion. Breadth was broadly positive, with 375 of 494 S&P 500 members finishing in the green.

Microsoft was the single largest contributor to the day's gains, adding $43 billion in market value, followed by Eli Lilly at $40 billion and Micron Technology at $19 billion. Visa and Alphabet each added $16 billion. On the losing side, Nvidia was the heaviest drag, shedding $98 billion, or roughly 1.8%, while Dell fell 6.8% for a $22 billion loss and Tesla dropped 1.3%, erasing $19 billion. Cisco Systems and Intel each lost $15 billion.

Among individual movers, The Trade Desk was the best performer in the S&P 500, surging 7.80%, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise was the worst, falling 7.10%. A number of large-cap names including Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, Visa, Mastercard, Pfizer, Moderna, BP, Shell, eBay, Etsy, and Keurig Dr Pepper touched fresh 52-week highs during the session.

In Indian markets, GIFT Nifty traded around 23,106 early Friday, up roughly 118 points or 0.51%, pointing to a positive open following Thursday's rally. Foreign Institutional Investors remained net sellers in India's cash segment on October 15, offloading equities worth 5,285.40 crore rupees, while Domestic Institutional Investors provided an offsetting bid of 3,319.40 crore rupees. Key Indian corporate developments included Nestle India reporting a 35.81% jump in Q2 net profit to 1,009.61 crore rupees on revenue up 20.45%, Tech Mahindra posting a 32.74% profit increase alongside a 1:1 bonus share recommendation, and Mankind Pharma announcing a 70% stake acquisition in Belgium-based Armed Cell Therapeutics for 48 million euros.