## U.S. Stock Market Last Night: What Opportunities Are Awaiting Investors?

The U.S. stock market accounts for 75% of global market capitalization, making it the largest exchange in the world, operated by two leading exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ. As of September 30, 2022, the total market value exceeded $46.5 trillion, with NYSE holding $30.1 trillion. This figure demonstrates the enormous scale and importance of these two exchanges in the global economy.

## Four U.S. Stock Indices Shape Global Trends

Among approximately 5,000 indices in the United States, the four most widely followed are **Dow Jones** (DJIA), **S&P 500**, **Nasdaq Composite**, and **Nasdaq 100**. Each index plays a distinct role in measuring economic health:

**Dow Jones (DJIA)** – Established in 1896, this index represents 25% of the total value of the U.S. stock market. It focuses on leading industrial companies and is highly sensitive to geopolitical events, wars, and energy crises.

**S&P 500** – Launched on 03/04/1957, this index accounts for 70% of market value with the 500 largest publicly traded companies. The S&P 500 is considered the best benchmark for large-cap stocks, although 50% of its value is determined by the 45 largest component companies.

**Nasdaq Composite** – Founded in 1971, this index includes small to large companies, especially technology firms. It reflects investor sentiment toward speculative stocks and technological sector volatility.

**Nasdaq 100** – Created in 1985, this index focuses on the top 100 companies on NASDAQ, including Technology, Telecommunications, Biotechnology, Media, and Services sectors.

## Remarkable Performance Over the Past 5 Years

The U.S. stock market has shown impressive growth:
- **S&P 500**: up 85.78%
- **Dow Jones**: up 54.13%
- **Nasdaq 100**: up 147.43%

Major tech stocks also recorded extraordinary growth:
- **Microsoft (MSFT)**: up 256.33%
- **Apple (AAPL)**: up 261.33%
- **NVIDIA (NVDA)**: up 1,908.58%

These figures highlight the enormous profit potential of the U.S. stock market, especially in the technology sector.

## Strong Recovery Trend from Late 2023

After significant volatility from 2022-2023 (energy crisis, Russia-Ukraine war, global inflation), the U.S. stock market has shown an impressive recovery:

**Dow Jones** adjusted sharply from 36,799 (4/1/2022) down to 28,690 (9/30/2022) – a decrease of 28.3%, but in the first three months of 2024, it increased by 5.59% as the Fed signaled interest rate cuts.

**S&P 500** also experienced a global decline but rose nearly 10% in the first quarter of 2024 and remains one of the most watched indices.

**Nasdaq Composite** recovered from its lows and started trending upward, increasing 2.28% in March 2024.

**Nasdaq 100** saw significant recovery, reaching 16,000 in November 2023, then breaking above 18,000 in March 2024, up 24.17% over the past six months.

## Top 10+ Notable U.S. Stocks in 2024

Noteworthy stocks with outstanding performance include:

- **SWAV (Shockwave Medical)**: 828.8%
- **LWAY (Lifeway Foods)**: 787%
- **VKTX (Viking Therapeutics)**: 795.13%
- **ZJYL (Jin Medical International)**: 750%
- **SMID (Smith-Midland)**: 491.89%
- **PRAX (Praxis Precision Medicines)**: 394.39%
- **INLX (Intellinetics)**: 285.12%
- **DJT (Digital World Acquisition Corp)**: 262%
- **DERM (Journey Medical)**: 181.68%

These stocks demonstrate that although large tech stocks declined sharply in 2022-2023, smaller companies still have strong growth opportunities.

## Trading Hours and How Vietnamese Investors Can Participate

**U.S. Stock Trading Hours:**
- **Regular Trading**: Monday to Friday, 8:30 PM to 2:00 AM
- **Pre-market Trading**: Monday to Friday, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
- **After-hours Trading**: Monday to Friday, 3:00 AM to 5:30 AM

For Vietnamese investors, current laws do not permit direct ownership of U.S. stocks. However, margin trading through contracts for difference (CFD) is a popular way to participate. This method allows investors to profit from price differences without owning the stocks, and they can benefit from both upward and downward trends.

## Factors Influencing Future Trends

**Fed's Interest Rate Policy**: According to Goldman Sachs, the Fed will cut interest rates three times in 2024, four times in 2025, and once in 2026, bringing long-term rates to 3.25-3.5%. This is a positive signal for the market.

**Geopolitical Situation**: The Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict pose significant risks. If conflicts escalate, investors may shift to safe-haven assets like gold and Bitcoin, slowing stock market growth. According to David Bahnsen from Bahnsen Group, the market could decline 7-10% if Middle East tensions intensify.

## Broad Investment Opportunities

The U.S. stock market is in a strong recovery phase with many positive signals. With potential interest rate cuts, investors have opportunities to explore new investment strategies. Despite geopolitical risks, past performance data shows that U.S. stocks remain one of the most attractive investment options worldwide.