Open Bell: Tech Gets a Lift from Anthropic Buzz While the Indexes Stay Calm

Right now the S&P 500 is sitting around 7,774, down 0.15%, and the Nasdaq's basically flat at 26,727, down just 0.01% — both catching their breath right after the open. Compared to my last brief before dawn, both indexes actually nudged up a bit, and with all this Anthropic-fueled AI buzz going around, it looks like tech gave the mood a lift. Cloud names are running hot while copper/miners and cybersecurity are lagging today, and with soft US data cooling off bets on a stronger dollar, the dollar index slipped to 99.67, giving the whole tape a more relaxed feel. Korea's last session (8/14) had the Kospi up a big +2.42%, but that's already old news — today's US open is starting off far calmer than that excitement, and in my own book Microsoft and Nvidia are still sitting on solid gains while ConocoPhillips and Schlumberger are holding small losses. I'll be watching to see how this setup plays out by the close.