New York, Feb 9, 2026, 16:04 EST — After-hours
- Nvidia climbed roughly 3% after hours, tacking on more gains to Friday’s sharp rebound.
- Chip financing news and AI demand buzz kept the sector front and center.
- Nvidia reports quarterly numbers Feb. 25, and investors are already eyeing it as the next big test.
NVIDIA Corp climbed roughly 3% Monday, with shares up $4.99 at $190.40 late in the session. The stock bounced between $182.85 and $193.58 as chip names found their footing following last week’s drop.
This matters: Nvidia now serves as a kind of barometer for AI investment translating into real demand and profit. Investors shifting between tech heavyweights have turned the stock into what amounts to a market-wide indicator, less its own narrative than a stand-in for sector momentum.
“You’ve a sharply oversold market where a little bit of good news can go a long way,” said Keith Lerner, chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services. He pointed out that “the rubber band was stretched too far for tech and software” as those names slumped last week. Investors are also raising the bar, Reuters observed, pressing for clear, measurable payback from “capex” — capital spending — all along the AI supply chain. 1
Apollo Global Management is nearing a deal for about $3.4 billion in financing to back an investment vehicle aiming to purchase Nvidia chips and lease them to Elon Musk’s xAI, according to The Information, which cited someone with direct knowledge. Reuters added that the agreement could wrap up as early as this week. 2
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has told staffers that ChatGPT usage is once again growing at more than 10% per month, according to a CNBC report cited by Reuters. Altman also said OpenAI is set to roll out an updated chat model this week, Reuters said. Reuters noted it was unable to independently confirm the CNBC account. 3
The stock rallied following Friday’s surge in chipmakers—Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom each soared over 7%, Reuters’ Morning Bid column noted. Still, markets were watching closely for any margin pressure on customers from hefty AI spending. 4
AMD jumped roughly 3.6%, with Broadcom following close behind, adding about 3.5%. Intel edged down, off around 0.7%. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF picked up about 1.4%.
The rally, though, remains shaky. Should investors sense that the AI build-out’s payback is getting pushed further out, or if customer demand starts to slip—fewer orders, slower rollouts—Nvidia could end up absorbing the blowback.
This week, U.S. economic data is back in the spotlight for rate-sensitive growth stocks. Investors are bracing for numbers that might sway bets on when the Federal Reserve finally pulls the trigger on a rate cut.
Nvidia’s next big moment comes with its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings, expected Feb. 25. Per the company’s investor relations page, both the report and the webcast are locked in for 2:00 p.m. PT. 5
