New York, Feb 25, 2026, 13:01 (EST) — Regular session
In early afternoon trade Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 307.8 points, or 0.6%, to 49,482.3. The S&P 500 picked up 0.8%, while the Nasdaq Composite outpaced both, rising 1.2%.
All eyes were on Nvidia’s earnings after the bell, with investors treating the chipmaker as a barometer for AI-driven spending. Bob Savage, who oversees markets macro strategy at BNY, pointed to a recent retreat he blamed on tariff chatter and anxiety around AI. “The focus on AI will continue into Nvidia earnings,” Savage said. Reuters
Options traders are bracing for a roughly 5.6% move in Nvidia shares following its results, ORATS data shows—a post-earnings swing that hasn’t been this muted in at least three years. “This unusually low event pricing makes Nvidia one of the more interesting catalysts of the week,” said Chris Murphy, co-head of derivatives strategy at Susquehanna. Reuters
This tech bounce went beyond the U.S. Mohit Kumar, chief Europe economist at Jefferies, pointed to AI headlines that “stressed on partnership rather than displacement” as a factor keeping software stocks on firmer ground, despite investors’ ongoing concerns about tariffs. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield edged near 4.05%, a level that can move equity valuations. Reuters
IBM climbed over 4% within the Dow, with UnitedHealth tacking on nearly 2.7%. Visa and Microsoft made gains too. On the flip side, Home Depot and Chevron slipped behind in midday trading.
Shares of Axon Enterprise surged after the Taser-maker beat quarterly profit forecasts, buoyed by robust sales of its security products and software. “There is a major opportunity across federal law enforcement,” Axon president Joshua Isner told analysts on the call. Reuters
GoDaddy shares dropped after the company projected yearly revenue that missed Wall Street’s targets—suggesting its AI tools aren’t catching on as quickly, and customer sign-ups are lagging. The domain registrar’s also feeling the squeeze from Wix, as competitors step up with more advanced AI-driven website builders.
Workday remained a focus after the enterprise software firm projected fiscal 2027 subscription revenue that missed expectations, citing slower progress on major enterprise agreements. “Some net new large enterprise deals are taking longer to close,” chief commercial officer Rob Enslin told analysts. Reuters
Lowe’s shares slipped after the company put out a full-year outlook for both sales and profit that landed short of expectations. Shoppers, it seems, are holding off on large-scale home improvements as the housing market stays slow. CEO Marvin Ellison blamed “unpredictable tariffs” along with elevated interest rates for the pressure. Home Depot, on the other hand, didn’t adjust its annual guidance. Reuters
Still, these gains follow a jittery month marked by abrupt moves in trade policy and AI shakeup worries, which have battered some single-name stocks despite the relative steadiness of the main indexes. Nvidia’s outlook—beyond the topline figures—may yet prove pivotal for keeping Wednesday’s rally alive through the end of the session.
The government will release its latest weekly unemployment claims data Thursday at 8:30 a.m. EST—a regular pulse on layoffs.
Friday brings producer price data at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, another key inflation gauge with the potential to sway rate bets. But before that, Nvidia’s numbers are due out after the bell on Wednesday.
