The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both closed at record highs, capping what analysts are calling their best monthly performance since 2020. The rally marks a notable milestone for US equities, which have climbed steadily through the month. One analyst pointed to corporate profits as the primary engine behind the gains. Strong earnings tend to justify higher stock valuations, giving investors confidence to push prices up rather than pull back. The 2020 comparison matters for context. That year saw an extraordinary rebound after pandemic-driven crash lows, so matching or exceeding that monthly gain signals real momentum, not just a routine uptick. Watch whether upcoming earnings reports sustain the profit story or show cracks. If corporate results start missing expectations, the rationale supporting these record levels weakens quickly. For now, the market is pricing in continued earnings strength across major companies.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
