US Stocks Hit Record Highs as Intel Surges on Apple Deal and Crypto Market Rebounds

US indices reached record highs for the third time this week, driven by a 5.5% chip sector rally led by Intel's 14% surge. Concurrently, the crypto market saw a 0.9% cap increase to $2.76T, with BTC holding at $80,000.

Data compiled by Woofun AI shows that US equities closed at record highs for the third time this week, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq achieving new all-time peaks. The semiconductor sector led the charge, rising 5.5% as Intel surged approximately 14% following a preliminary outsourcing agreement with Apple. This momentum extended to peers, with AMD up 11.4%, Qualcomm up 8%, and Nvidia gaining 1.75%. Storage chip stocks also rallied significantly, including Micron Technology (+15.49%) and SanDisk (+16.6%), while crypto-related equities like MicroStrategy and Coinbase posted gains above 4%.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market experienced a modest recovery, with total market capitalization increasing 0.9% over 24 hours to $2.76 trillion. Bitcoin maintained support at $80,000, Ethereum traded near $2,300, and SOL broke through the $90 threshold. Altcoin performance was mixed but largely positive, with ONDO leading gainers at +30.6%, followed by SAHARA (+22.4%) and CHIP (+21.2%). Conversely, HMSTR and TST faced notable declines of 15.2% and 10.7% respectively.