The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.24% to 26,861.06 on Wednesday, making it the only major U.S. index to finish higher as technology shares advanced and the wider market retreated. The S&P 500 fell 0.25%, the Dow dropped 0.86% and the Russell 2000 declined 0.4%. Technology gained 0.6%, led by Microsoft, Apple and Nvidia, although nine of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors ended lower and declining stocks outnumbered advancers on both major exchanges. The Nasdaq rose 1.9% in September, while the S&P 500 fell 0.45% and the Dow lost 4.3%; the Nasdaq and S&P 500 posted their second consecutive quarterly advances, while the Dow declined for the second time in three quarters. Softer-than-expected PCE inflation (a measure of consumer price changes) initially lifted the Nasdaq as much as 1.2%, but higher yields pared the gain. Micron then provided a fresh signal of AI demand, reporting fourth-quarter revenue of $54.23 billion and guiding for $61.5 billion in first-quarter revenue, above consensus estimates in both cases. Its long-term customer commitments rose to $32 billion from $22 billion in June, while remaining performance obligations increased to $150 billion from $100 billion. Micron shares gained less than 1% after hours after more than tripling during the year. Hewlett Packard Enterprise rose 3.9% after raising its long-term networking-growth forecast and announcing a $1.2 billion Vultr deal, while Moderna fell 5.3% after a Citi downgrade and Liquidia lost more than 50% after a patent-dispute defeat. U.S. futures opened the new quarter higher, but European futures fell 0.75%. Japan’s Nikkei gained more than 1% as semiconductor shares followed Micron higher, while the Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan slipped 0.2% and South Korea’s Kospi edged lower. South Korean exports rose 83.5% year over year to a record $120.9 billion, semiconductor shipments surged 262.8% to $60.3 billion and the trade surplus reached a record $49.85 billion. The 10-year Treasury yield remained near 5.29% and the 30-year yield above 5.6%, while stronger private hiring and an upward revision to second-quarter growth supported expectations for higher rates for longer. West Texas Intermediate traded around $90.50 and Brent near $98 as stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations maintained supply-disruption risks. Gold held around $4,190 after falling 6.6% in September, Bitcoin traded near $83,400 after briefly reaching $85,500, the dollar index stood near 101.5, EUR/USD remained near $1.1330 and USD/JPY moved back toward ¥157.70.