US markets closed mixed on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new historical record driven by traditional blue-chip sectors, while the Nasdaq Composite fell for the fourth consecutive session as tech giants faced pressure. A sharp plunge in Apple's stock was the main factor dragging down the Nasdaq. The company announced price increases for its MacBook and iPad series, marking the first time it has formally passed on rising storage and memory costs driven by artificial intelligence to consumers. Following the adjustment, starting prices for multiple laptop and tablet models were significantly raised, with increases reaching up to several hundred dollars. Management explained that with the rapid expansion of AI data centers, related component prices have seen unprecedented increases, and they can no longer fully absorb the cost pressure. Affected by this news, Apple's stock price fell more than 6% in a single day, marking the largest drop in months.

Meanwhile, shares of tech giants such as Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta also declined to varying degrees. The market is concerned that continuing chip price hikes will erode profit margins for large tech companies. However, performance within the semiconductor sector was mixed. Micron Technology reported quarterly earnings that comprehensively exceeded market expectations, with its stock price surging nearly 16%, making it one of the best-performing large-cap tech stocks of the day. Benefiting from strong demand for high-bandwidth memory from AI servers, the company's revenue grew significantly year-over-year, and its gross margin even exceeded that of some industry leaders. Shares of semiconductor companies such as Qualcomm, SanDisk, and Western Digital rose in tandem, indicating that capital continues to flow into areas related to AI infrastructure. Industry analysis shows that memory and storage chip prices have risen significantly over the past three quarters, mainly because manufacturers are shifting more capacity to products needed for AI servers.

In terms of traditional sectors, healthcare, finance, and industrial stocks became the main force driving the Dow to new highs. Caterpillar's stock price surged, becoming the largest contributor to the Dow, while weighted stocks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase also moved higher. European stock markets also rebounded comprehensively that day, with major indices recording gains. Regarding macro data, the US May Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index basically met market expectations. Overall inflation data did not worsen due to energy price fluctuations, and market sentiment remained relatively stable. Affected by the data, the US 10-year Treasury yield fell slightly. Market views suggest that the current AI investment boom has not ended, but capital is reassessing the profitability of various links in the supply chain. With Apple leading the price hikes, whether more consumer electronics companies will follow suit in the future, and whether companies can successfully pass costs on to consumers, will become the focus of market attention in the next stage. The Dow continuing to hit new historical highs also reflects that some capital is shifting from high-valued tech stocks to traditional value sectors such as finance, industrials, and healthcare.