Today: 20 May 2026
Nasdaq Climbs Record Highs Then Retreats Amid Trade and Tech News

Nasdaq Surges 1.7% on Monday After Trump Calms Trade War Fears – Tech Stocks Lead Wild Comeback

  • Key Facts (Oct 13, 2025): Nasdaq Composite closed at 22,513.52 (+1.39%) and Nasdaq-100 at 24,697.77 (+1.97%)investing.cominvesting.com. This rebound came after Friday’s swoon, when the Nasdaq fell 3.56% (820 points) – its largest one-day drop since April – as S&P 500 slid 2.71% and Dow dropped 1.90%reuters.cominvesting.com. Major tech stocks led Monday’s rally: NVIDIA +3.6%, AMD +2.5%, Broadcom +8%investopedia.cominvesting.com (Amazon +2.0%, Apple +1.7%, Microsoft +1.6%investing.com). By contrast, defensive and industrial sectors had tumbled on Friday (Consumer Discretionary -2.8%, Industrials -2.2%, Materials -2.1%nasdaq.com). Notable stock movers include Qualcomm -7.3% (under Chinese antitrust probe)nasdaq.com and AstraZeneca -0.6% (U.S. drug-price pact)nasdaq.com. Macroeconomic risks loom: the U.S. government shutdown hit its 10th day on Oct. 10nasdaq.com, delaying key data (CPI, retail sales) and keeping volatility high. Analysts caution that, despite Monday’s bounce, markets may remain choppy (“a pullback would be healthy,” says Rory McPhersonreuters.com; “volatile and directionless” in the near term, warns Homin Leereuters.com).

Market Summary – Nasdaq Composite & Nasdaq-100 Performance

Monday’s session saw a sharp recovery in equities after Friday’s selloff. The Nasdaq Composite rebounded to 22,513.52 at the close, up 1.39% for the day. The tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 also climbed to 24,697.77, up 1.97%. These gains came as U.S. futures jumped and major tech names surged (see below). By comparison, on Friday Oct 10 the Nasdaq Composite had plunged to 22,204.43 (-3.56%) on news of fresh trade tensions – wiping out nearly two weeks of gains (the index had traded at record highs near 23,043 on Oct 9). The broader S&P 500 fell 2.7% (to 6,552.51) and the Dow lost 1.90%. In all, Wall Street finished Oct 10 with declines of ~2–3% across the major indexes.

Sector moves reflected this volatility. Friday’s losers: Tech and energy led the drop. The Technology sector ETF (XLK) fell 4.1%, Energy (XLE) -2.9%, Consumer Discretionary (XLY) -2.8%, Industrials (XLI) -2.2%, Materials (XLB) -2.1%. The fear gauge VIX spiked to 21.66 (a 31.8% jump). In contrast, Monday’s winners: chip and AI stocks led. Semiconductor stocks rallied strongly on hopeful trade news – see Major Gainers/Losers below. In short, tech-oriented groups led the rebound while the previous laggards (e.g. consumer stocks, banks) made smaller moves.

Major Gainers & Losers (Oct 13, 2025)

  • Big Winners: Broadcom (AVGO) jumped +8% after announcing a 10-GW AI-chip partnership with OpenAI. NVIDIA (NVDA) climbed ~+3.6% (to ~$189.50) as trade war fears eased. AMD and ON Semiconductor also gained (+2.5–5%). Amazon.com (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) each rose ~1.6–2.0% on the broad-market rally. (Crypto-related names like Robinhood and Marathon Digital also ticked up on Bitcoin’s weekend bounce.)
  • Big Losers: Amazon.com was the market’s biggest laggard on Friday (-5.0%) but bounced on Monday. Among Nasdaq-listed news, Qualcomm (QCOM) slid -7.3% on reports China had opened an antitrust probe. AstraZeneca (AZN) fell -0.6% after agreeing to U.S. drug price cuts. (On Friday, semiconductor names took heavy losses: AMD -7.8%, NVIDIA -4.9%, and chip-design/equipment stocks off ~8–9% as the trade war re-escalated.) Broad market decliners outnumbered advancers ~5-to-1 on the NYSE.

Recent News – Trade, Shutdown, Tech & Biotech

Trade War Update: The market swings were driven largely by U.S.-China tensions. Over the weekend, President Trump posted conciliatory comments on China (“don’t worry … it will all be fine”), which sparked the Monday rallyinvestopedia.com. By contrast, on Oct 10 the U.S. announced 100% tariffs on another tranche of Chinese imports (effective Nov 1)nasdaq.com, and China moved to tighten exports of rare-earth minerals (critical for tech and EV supply chains) with new licensing rulesnasdaq.com. Tech stocks reacted sharply: the trade rhetoric led to Friday’s sell-off (Nasdaq -3.6%)ts2.tech, whereas Monday’s easing of rhetoric gave tech shares a big lift (Nasdaq +1.4% at the openinvestopedia.com).

Government Shutdown: Washington’s impasse also loomed large. The partial federal shutdown entered its 10th day on Oct 10nasdaq.com. This meant many economic releases (Sept CPI, retail sales, PPI) were delayed or under special release, which added uncertainty. Analysts note that data scarcity makes markets jumpy. For example, S&P Global economists warn that “prolonged government shutdown” risks data gaps, and CPI/PPI due this week will be key for Fed outlookspglobal.com. The University of Michigan sentiment index held near 55 for Octobernasdaq.com, showing consumer confidence stalled.

Tech & Biotech Headlines: Earnings season is nearing, and corporate news also influenced Nasdaq names. Early Oct rally had been driven by strong corporate news: TechStock² reports Nasdaq hit new highs (22,660 on Oct 1) on solid earnings and “big gains in defense-related biotech”ts2.tech. Notably, AMD soared nearly +24% on Oct 6 after unveiling a multi-$10B AI chip deal with OpenAIts2.tech. Other chip companies saw momentum (Micron, TSMC up earlier, then profit-taking on Oct 7ts2.tech). By Friday, however, big tech softened: analysts observed that “the rally was often led by smaller ‘Magnificent Seven’ names” and value stocks were catching upts2.tech. In biotech, drugmakers rallied on policy news (e.g. Pfizer +6.8%, Eli Lilly +5.0% on Oct 1ts2.tech), but volatility remained high.

Expert Analysis & Outlook

Market veterans caution that volatility will remain elevated. As TechStock²’s analysis put it, after Friday’s “hit-and-run trade tweets” the Nasdaq plunged 3.6%ts2.tech, and “analysts remain cautious” as earnings season approachests2.tech. Rory McPherson of Wren Sterling said Monday’s stabilization was “encouraging” but added a pullback would be “healthy”reuters.com. Homin Lee of Lombard Odier warned we may see “a more volatile and directionless environment” for risky assets in the near termreuters.com. In line with this, Goldman’s equity sentiment indicator is deeply negative, suggesting many investors are underinvested and a weak report could trigger outsized sellingig.comig.com.

Earnings & Economic Outlook: Analysts remain upbeat on fundamentals. For Q3 2025, S&P 500 earnings are forecast to be ~8% higher year-over-year, driven by tech and financials, and guidance has skewed more positive than usual. However, forward price/earnings ratios are rich (S&P forward P/E ~22.8 vs 5-yr avg ~19.9), raising valuation concerns if growth disappoints. In the week ahead, all eyes are on Fed-related data and major bank earnings. Bank giants (JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo) report Q3 results (Oct 14–16), which could set the tone. Meanwhile, September inflation figures (CPI, PPI) and industrial production – pending release once the shutdown ends – will be key. Futures markets still price in a Fed rate cut by year-end if inflation cools.

In summary, Monday’s gains suggest traders bought the dip after trade fears eased, but analysts emphasize caution. Tech stocks rebounded sharply on optimistic news, yet any fresh trade headlines or weak earnings could quickly reverse fortunes. The coming days will reveal whether the Nasdaq can build on this bounce or resume its October swoon.

Sources: Nasdaq and Reuters market reports; Nasdaq.com/Zacks equity research; TechStock² (ts2.tech) analysis; Investopedia market commentary; Reuters economics commentary.

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