US stocks today: S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch records, boosted by AI and earnings optimism

Nvidia climbed, while memory and storage sellers Micron Technology and Sandisk soared, lifted by strong demand from the rapid buildout of AI data centers. Still, despite the tech rally, most sectors in the S&P 500 were down for the ‌day.

The Philadelphia SE ⁠Semiconductor index ⁠jumped, bringing its gain so far in the second quarter to about 54%.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have surged to record highs this week as investors focused on strong financial reports from U.S. companies, setting aside concerns that high oil prices related to the Middle East conflict are fueling inflation.

First-quarter S&P 500 earnings are on track to climb almost 29% year-over-year, with much of that growth fueled by Wall Street’s AI-related heavyweights, according to LSEG I/B/E/S.

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“This is an economy that seems hard to wreck,” said Rob Williams, chief investment strategist at Sage Advisory Services in Austin, Texas. “It’s the productivity story, the ⁠spending, the consumer ‌wealth effect and the earnings.”
Data showed U.S. employment increased more than expected in April and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged for some ⁠time. Traders expect the central bank will hold interest rates steady in the 3.50% to 3.75% range until the end of the year.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 61.40 points, or 0.84%, to end at 7,398.51 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 437.64 points, or 1.70%, to 26,243.84. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 10.10 points, or 0.02%, to 49,607.81.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched their sixth straight weekly gains, the longest such winning streak since October 2024. The Dow has logged two consecutive weekly advances.

The earnings optimism helped investors look past fresh attacks between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf.

Brent crude rose above $100 ‌a barrel as hopes faded for a quick resolution to the Middle East conflict and the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for oil and liquefied natural gas.

The U.S. said it expected a response from Tehran to ⁠its latest proposal later on Friday.

Of the 440 S&P 500 companies that have reported first-quarter results so far, 83% have topped analysts’ earnings estimates, according to LSEG. That compares with a long-term average of about 67%.

However, there have been some earnings disappointments.

Cloudflare plunged after the cloud services company said it would cut about 20% of its workforce and forecast second-quarter revenue slightly below Wall Street expectations.

Trade Desk fell after the ad-tech firm forecast second-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates.

CoreWeave dropped after the cloud infrastructure technology company raised the lower end of its annual capital expenditure forecast, citing a rise in component costs.

Online travel platform Expedia declined after it flagged that the conflict in the Middle East was hurting demand.