Wall Street wrapped up the second quarter the way it spent most of it: going up. US stocks rose again on the final day of June, with the Nasdaq adding 1.52% and the Dow notching another record, as chipmakers extended the rebound that began on Monday. The bigger picture is the headline, though. The three months to June were the market's best quarter since 2020. Gold told the opposite story: it clung just above $4,000 but ended June with a fourth straight monthly loss.
Market snapshot
| Instrument | Level | Move |
|---|---|---|
| US equities (Tue Jun 30 close) | ||
| Dow Jones | ≈ 52,300 | +0.26% · another record |
| S&P 500 | ≈ 7,449 | +0.79% |
| Nasdaq Composite | ≈ 26,214 | +1.52% |
| The quarter (Q2 2026) | ||
| S&P 500 | 3 months | ≈ +14% · best since 2020 |
| Nasdaq | 3 months | ≈ +20% |
| Dow Jones | 3 months | ≈ +12% |
| Metals, forex & energy | ||
| Gold (XAU/USD) | ≈ $4,010 | −0.2% day · −11% in June |
| EUR/USD | 1.1416 | −0.05% · dollar firm |
| Brent Crude | ≈ $73.41 | −0.67% |
Figures are verified on live price pages for the Tuesday 30 June session. Index levels are rounded; quarterly figures are approximate three-month moves. Gold was roughly flat on the day but fell sharply over the month. Always check live prices with your broker.
A record quarter for stocks
The last day of the quarter was a quiet, broadly green session, but the numbers behind it were not quiet at all. The Dow Jones edged up 0.26% to another record close, the S&P 500 added 0.79% and the Nasdaq rose 1.52%, led once again by the chipmakers. Nvidia, AMD and Intel all gained as investors kept looking past the AI-valuation worries that had rattled them only a week earlier. Step back to the full quarter and the scale becomes clear: the S&P rose roughly 14% and the Nasdaq about 20%, their strongest three months since 2020, while the Dow gained around 12%, its best quarter since late 2022. After the wobble in late June, the market closed the period near its highs.
Live gold chart (last three months). Prices shown are current, not the session covered above.
Gold ends a brutal month
For gold, the quarter was the exact opposite of the stock market's. The metal held just above $4,000 on Tuesday in choppy trade, roughly flat on the day, but that steadiness masked a painful run: gold fell about 11% in June and roughly 14% over the quarter, its fourth straight monthly decline. Two forces did the damage. A firm dollar and persistent bets on Fed rate hikes, with markets now pricing around a 65% chance of a September move, make a non-yielding asset like gold less attractive. And the geopolitical risk premium drained away as the US and Iran de-escalated: with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recovering, the fear bid that often supports gold and oil simply faded. Brent crude eased to $73.41 for the same reason, and the euro was little changed near 1.1416 against the steady dollar.
What it means for traders
A new quarter starts with the same regime that defined the last one: a firm dollar, a Fed leaning toward higher rates, and a stock market happy to climb on it. The split between equities and gold is not two stories but one, the risk-on, higher-rates backdrop that lifts shares is the very thing pressing on bullion. That can persist, but quarter-end records are also exactly where complacency creeps in, so the job now is the same as ever: trade the level in front of you, not the milestone. Keep risk contained with the 1% rule, size each position deliberately, and watch the data that can shift the rate story in our guide to the economic events that move forex. You can revisit Monday's record-breaking session in yesterday's wrap.
This market wrap is for information and education only and is not financial advice, a forecast, or a recommendation to buy or sell any instrument. Prices and percentage moves are approximate, sourced from public price pages and reports, and may be delayed or revised; single-stock moves cited are for context. Trading forex, CFDs and leveraged products carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors; you can lose more than your deposit. Always do your own research.