Dow Jones Extends Record Highs, Silver Hits $80: Markets Today - American International Gr (NYSE:AIG), Albemarle (NYSE:ALB)

Market Performance - Wall Street started 2026 positively, with large-cap indexes showing gains for three consecutive sessions, particularly the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which rose nearly 1% and reached record highs [1] - Major US indices performed as follows: Nasdaq 100 increased by 0.9%, S&P 500 by 0.6%, Dow Jones by 0.9%, and Russell 2000 by 0.2% [6] Commodity Prices - Gold prices rose for the third session, up 0.9% to $4,490 per ounce, while silver surged over 5% to exceed $80 per ounce due to supply shortages [2][1] - Copper prices increased by 1% to $6.07 per pound, setting new record highs [2] Mining and Memory Chip Stocks - Mining stocks gained alongside rising bullion prices, with the VanEck Gold Miners ETF and Global X Silver Miners ETF both up 3.7% [2] - Memory chip stocks saw significant increases: Sandisk Corp. rose by 24.6%, Western Digital Corp. by 15.8%, and Seagate Technology by 12.4%, driven by expectations of rising memory prices amid a global supply crunch [3] Company-Specific Movements - Albemarle Corp. shares increased by 10.7% after Jefferies raised its price target, citing stronger long-term demand related to energy storage and electric vehicles [3] - Tesla Inc. experienced a decline of over 4%, marking its eighth drop in nine sessions due to competitive pressures in the robotaxi market and market share losses in Europe [4] - Energy stocks lagged, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund dropping 2.1% and Chevron Corp. falling nearly 4% after a previous rally [5] ETF Performance - The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF rose by 0.5% to $635.34, while the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF increased by 0.9% to $493.63 [7] - The Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund outperformed, rising by 2.0%, contrasting with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund, which lagged [7]