** S&P 500 .SPX stretches winning streak to eight weeks, climbs 0.9%, buoyed by Middle East peace hopes .N

** Dow .DJI ascends 2.1%, achieves first record high since the U.S.-Iran war began; Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lifts 0.5%

** U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield US10YT=RR vaults to as high as 4.687%, then falls after Trump signals Iran deal talk progress, finishes down around 4.56% US/

** Vast majority of sectors advance: Healthcare and Utilities lead the way, while Communication Services biggest laggard

** Healthcare .SPXHC sprints 3.3%. Medical device maker Boston Scientific BSX.N shares rise on $2 bln accelerated buyback

** Utilities .SPLRCU surge 3.3%. Dominion Energy D.N soars on about $67 bln deal with NextEra NEE.N as power companies chase surging AI-driven data center electricity demand

** Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD up 1.9%. Tesla TSLA.O edges lower late Weds after SpaceX files to go public. Still, TSLA gains ~1% on the week

Home Depot HD.N posts quarterly beat, flags choppy demand for large remodels on housing affordability strain, shares finish in the green

** Tech .SPLRCT up 1%. IBM IBM.N, quantum computing stocks leap after Trump administration says it will take $2 bln in equity stakes

Nvidia NVDA.O bets on new data center chips for growth as sales outlook tops estimates, though its stock dips

Even so, Semiconductor index .SOX pops >5% and hits all-time high on Fri

Conversely, Intuit INTU.O plunges on lowered annual TurboTax rev forecast, layoffs

** Consumer Staples .SPLRCS sheds 1%. Target TGT.N slides after it doubles annual sales growth forecast, but warns of tough macroenvironment ahead

Walmart WMT.O drops after it maintains annual targets as rising fuel costs dent consumer spending

** Communication Services .SPLRCL stumbles 1.9%. Alphabet GOOGL.O shares retreat as Google, Blackstone BX.N to launch AI cloud venture

** Meanwhile, Optimism disappears - AAII (American Association of Individual Investors)

** SPX performance YTD:

Energy	31.5%
Tech	18.1%
Real Estate	10.9%
Industrials	10.6%
Staples	10.1%
Materials	9.9%
SPX	9.2%
Comm Svcs	9.0%
Utils	5.9%
Discretionary	2.3%
Healthcare	-3.4%
Financials	-5.4%

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