04:22 PM EDT, 09/03/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were mixed at the close on Wednesday as gains in communication services helped the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.03% to 21,497.727, and the S&P 500 rose 0.51% to 6,448.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.05% to 45,271.23. Communication services was the top gainer, up 3.5%, followed by technology and consumer discretionary. Energy was the steepest decliner, down 2.3%.

US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 5.4 basis points to 4.22% and the two-year rate 3.5 basis points lower at 3.62%.

In company news, Alphabet (GOOG/GOOGL) shares surged 9.1%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite, after multiple price target raises following Tuesday's federal court ruling that the company's Google ( GOOG ) unit will not have to sell its Chrome browser to comply with antitrust laws.

Apple ( AAPL ) shares jumped 3.2%, among the top performers in the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow, after a US federal judge let Google ( GOOG ) retain its exclusive contracts related to the distribution of Google Search and Google's ( GOOG ) AI offerings.

Dollar Tree ( DLTR ) shares slumped 8.5%, the steepest decline on the S&P 500, after the company said it expects fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings per share to be "similar" to Q3, 2024.

KeyBanc adjusted the price target on Diamondback Energy ( FANG ) to $176 from $180 while maintaining its overweight rating. Diamondback Energy ( FANG ) will sell Environmental Disposal Systems to Deep Blue Midland Basin for $750 million and renew a 15-year water dedication across a 12-county Midland Basin area, Deep Blue said.

In economic news, the market composite index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, fell 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week through Friday, following declines of 0.5% and 1.4% in the previous two weeks. Without adjustments, the index fell 3% on a weekly basis.

The JOLTS report revealed that US job openings declined to 7.18 million in July, from 7.36 million in June, driving September rate-cut bets. Economists tracked by Bloomberg expected 7.38 million open jobs.

Gold futures advanced 0.78% to $3,620.4, after scaling a new peak of $3,627.7 earlier in the session. Gold's move to new highs is consistent with its "role as a hedge against inflation and fiscal concerns," according to a note from Deutsche Bank.

Silver futures rose 0.36% to $41.22, after hitting an intraday record of $41.45.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures slumped 2.55% to $63.92 a barrel.