NEW YORK, Feb 6, 2026, 20:05 EST — The session wrapped with the market now closed.
- Applied Digital surged roughly 25% Friday, trading on unusually strong volume. Shares had been volatile through the session. 1
- Short interest in the stock is still high, which means any reversal can get an extra jolt as shorts cover their positions. 2
- Next week, investors get a packed slate: U.S. jobs numbers and inflation data are finally returning to the lineup after that shutdown pause. 3
Applied Digital (APLD.O) closed Friday at $34.95, surging $7.09, or 25.5%. The stock swung between $27.16 and $35.08 during the session, market data showed.
The shift is drawing attention, with the stock now acting as a barometer for both AI data center demand and increasingly crowded trades. Applied Digital dropped sharply the previous day, still trading under its Jan. 28 all-time high of $42.27. Options were leaning bearish, and the latest figures showed short interest climbing, according to Schaeffer’s Investment Research. 4
U.S. stocks staged a sharp recovery Friday, led by chipmakers rallying on optimism around increased Big Tech spending on AI data centers. “This trade has been volatile… but I think there’s enough evidence that there’s real demand for AI products,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird. 5
Broader strength set the tone. The Dow punched through the 50,000 mark at the close for the first time ever—a fresh record, and a signal that investors appear to be moving back into risk, even after tech’s rough patch last week. “What’s driven it recently has been the broadening that we have seen in the market,” said Chuck Carlson, CEO at Horizon Investment Services. 6
Friday brought no new press release from the company. The latest on Applied Digital’s investor-relations page is still dated Jan. 22. 7
SEC filings from the company have been standard fare—primarily ownership disclosures. The last 8-K? That showed up back in mid-January, based on its filings page. 8
Applied Digital operates data centers and provides colocation services tailored for artificial intelligence, cloud, networking, and blockchain tasks. Reuters’ company profile also notes the company hosts crypto mining equipment owned by clients at its sites. 9
Bitcoin pushed past $70,000 again on Friday, rebounding after its earlier slump this week as risk assets bounced back. Crypto markets overall held steady. 10
Still, the risks linger. Applied Digital’s heavy buildout demands steady capital, so the stock reacts quickly to shifts in financing expenses or if lease signings falter. Rate bets remain in focus as well. Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson noted policy will depend on fresh economic data while inflation edges toward the Fed’s 2% target. 11
Looking to the next few days, macro events may end up steering sentiment more than any corporate headlines. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed the January jobs data—postponed because of that short government shutdown—lands next Wednesday. CPI numbers come right after, due out Friday. 12
The January 2026 inflation print is slated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 13, according to the CPI schedule — the next concrete event that could shake up rate expectations and send high-beta AI infrastructure stocks such as Applied Digital moving. 13
