S&P 500 Nears Historic High After Netflix Surge

Nvidia Shares Lead Gains in Dow Jones, Boosted by AI Investment Enthusiasm.

Wall Street’s three major indexes advanced during midweek trading. The S&P 500, representing the most valuable companies in the U.S., neared its historical high reached last month, driven by a boost from Netflix following a record-breaking report.

SPX

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, comprising 30 large-cap stocks, gained 0.30%, closing at 44,156.73 points. The S&P 500 advanced 0.61%, finishing at 6,086.37 units, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.28% to 20,009.34 points.

Netflix Standed Out with Great Earnings

Netflix (+9.69%) sparked investor optimism by reporting a significant increase in its fourth-quarter earnings, while Oracle (+6.75%) and other major tech companies also lifted the market, fueled by positive expectations surrounding artificial intelligence.

Specifically, Netflix shares rose after the company reported a 19 million increase in its number of net new paid subscribers, far surpassing expectations. Another positive report came from Travelers (+3.2%), whose figures also exceeded consensus.

Meanwhile, Oracle shares jumped after it was revealed that a partnership involving the company, OpenAI, and Japanese giant SoftBank could invest up to $500 billion. SoftBank (+10.6%), listed in Japan, surged sharply.

AI and Tech Stocks

Following this news, other AI-related stocks saw gains, with Nvidia (+4.43%) standing out. Nvidia surpassed Apple (+0.53%) as the most valuable company by market capitalization, closing the day at a valuation of $3.6 trillion.

Tech stocks led the gains, with Nvidia, followed by Microsoft (+4.13%) and Travelers, standing out within the Dow Jones. On the downside, Home Depot (-1.99%) and Johnson & Johnson (-1.94%) posted losses, in line with expectations.

NVDA/USD

Despite these gains, most U.S. stocks moved in the opposite direction due to rising Treasury bond yields. The Russell 2000 Index, which tracks small- and mid-cap companies, dropped by 0.6%.

Ignacio Teson

Economist and Financial Analyst

Ignacio Teson is an Economist and Financial Analyst. He has more than 7 years of experience in emerging markets. He worked as an analyst and market operator at brokerage firms in Argentina and Spain.