Equity Index futures hit new records as market volatility dropped.

Equity markets reached new milestones today as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 achieved fresh records, driven by a surging technology sector. Snowflake led the charge with a near 40% gain, while semiconductor equities like SanDisk and Qualcomm also shined. This rally coincided with overall market volatility dropping to its lowest level since January, with implied volatility slipping under 10%. On the economic side, April PCE data increased 0.4%, coming in below the 0.5% forecast, while the 12-month inflation rate held steady at 3.8%. Additionally, weekly unemployment claims climbed to 215,000. In options markets, short-term call volume rose for both the Russell 2000 and Nasdaq-100. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency markets faced pressure, with Bitcoin hitting a multi-week low of 72,500 amid fragile macroeconomic conditions and renewed geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Approximately 65,000 Micro Bitcoin futures contracts changed hands at CME Group.