Market Pulse — Today

US markets closed higher across the board on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.62% to finish at 7,757.64 and the Nasdaq leading the charge with a strong 1.30% advance to close at 26,690.615. Israel's TA-125 also posted solid gains, rising 0.82% to end the session at 4,065.6. On the news front, a major theme of the day was cryptocurrency regulation, as the US Senate advanced a landmark crypto bill before departing for its August recess, a development that drew widespread attention across financial markets. Artificial intelligence continued to dominate headlines, with reports that Cisco is rolling out AI agents to all 90,000 of its employees, while Stanford research highlighted what is being called the Junior-Gap Paradox, suggesting AI is hollowing out entry-level knowledge work. Dutch Bros also made headlines after its stock crashed 19% in a single session, rattling investors in the restaurant sector.