NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 06:28 ET — Market closed.
- Applied Digital closed Friday up 14.6%, as traders rotated back into higher-risk AI infrastructure plays.
- Investors are now positioning ahead of the company’s Jan. 7 fiscal Q2 results and call.
- This week’s U.S. data calendar — including jobs and inflation — could move rates and appetite for high-beta stocks.
Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) shares jumped 14.6% on Friday to close at $28.11, after trading between $24.65 and $28.44. Trading volume was about 36.1 million shares.
The move put focus back on one of the market’s more volatile AI infrastructure trades, where sentiment can swing sharply on expectations for data-center demand and funding conditions.
Why it matters now: investors are heading into a key earnings week looking for signs that new capacity is translating into steadier revenue, while capital spending remains heavy across the sector.
The rally came as risk appetite returned on Wall Street to start 2026, with chip stocks leading gains. Nvidia and Intel helped lift the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index about 4% on Friday, a Reuters market recap showed. 1
The broader tape was mixed, with the Dow up 0.66% and the S&P 500 gaining 0.19%, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.03%, according to Reuters. 2
Applied Digital said it will release fiscal second-quarter results after the market closes on Wednesday, Jan. 7, followed by a 5 p.m. ET conference call. 3
A separate corporate catalyst remains in view. On Dec. 29, the company said it plans to spin out its cloud services business — separating it into a standalone public company — and combine it with Ekso Bionics to form ChronoScale, with a proposed closing in the first half of 2026 subject to definitive agreements and approvals. 4
Financing is another key thread. In a Dec. 18 release, Applied Digital said it entered a loan facility with Macquarie’s Commodities and Global Markets business to fund pre-lease development costs — money spent before a customer signs — for new data-center projects. “This development facility strengthens our ability to move quickly on high-quality sites while maintaining capital flexibility,” Chief Executive Wes Cummins said. 5
Before Monday’s session, traders will weigh whether Friday’s surge reflects new positioning ahead of earnings or a broader chase into AI-related risk. The market also faces a busy calendar, including the December jobs report due Jan. 9 and consumer price data on Jan. 13, Reuters reported. 6
For Applied Digital, swings in yields and rate expectations matter because large data-center builds are capital-intensive and typically rely on multi-year funding. Investors will also be listening for detail on customer pipeline, spending discipline and any timeline updates around the proposed cloud separation.
After Friday’s wide range, the prior session high and low levels have become immediate reference points for short-term traders. A sustained break beyond that band could reinforce momentum into earnings, while a quick fade would raise the bar for Jan. 7.
