Stocks finish higher as technology rebounds, Nvidia helps lift Nasdaq while Dow hits new highs

U.S. stocks ended higher on Monday as investors pushed back on the prior week’s selling, with technology and semiconductors leading the rebound. The S&P 500 finished up 0.8%, the Nasdaq 100 added 1.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% to record highs, according to the market wrap cited in the report.

Smaller-cap stocks also participated, with the Russell 2000 up 0.5%. Index-focused exchange-traded funds reflected the same pattern: the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) rose 0.9%, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ended about 1.4% higher, and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) gained 0.4%. The move came after a prior pullback in technology shares that the report tied to renewed concerns about how long high levels of artificial-intelligence-related demand will last and whether the market is over-justifying aggressive capital spending plans.

Semiconductors were among the strongest pockets of strength. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) rose 2%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) climbed 2.2%. The report singled out gains in Nvidia and Broadcom as contributors to the tech-led lift, helping stabilize the Nasdaq during the session.

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) climbed nearly 2% in the report, supported by notable single-name gains including Western Digital (up about 7%) and Teradyne (up about 2.8%). The broad message in the coverage was that chip-related optimism returned even as investors remained focused on whether recent volatility in technology would calm down.

The report also included a comment from UBS chief investment officer Mark Haefele, who said markets would look for signs that technology’s recent volatility is stabilizing. He added that investors would also assess pressure on major “hyperscaler” shareholders, referring to large cloud and data-center operators whose spending plans often drive demand for chips and related infrastructure.

Elsewhere in the megacap complex, the report noted that Microsoft fell almost 1% after it said it would cut 4,800 jobs, representing 2.1% of its global workforce. The weaker tone from Microsoft stood out against the day’s broader risk-on posture, but it did not prevent the Nasdaq and S&P 500 from ending higher.

In the background, the rally read as a partial reversal rather than a clear change in fundamentals. The same market wrap described how chipmaker shares dropped significantly in the previous week on investor concerns about the durability of AI demand and the need for better justification for elevated capex. Monday’s gains therefore look more like relief and stabilization, with markets looking for confirmation that the selloff’s drivers were easing rather than reappearing.

Still, the day’s coverage did not offer detailed company-specific catalysts beyond the job-cut update mentioned for Microsoft and the broader role of Nvidia in leading chip gains. It also did not quantify how much of the index movement was attributable to earnings changes versus positioning or technical factors. What to watch next, based on the themes in the report, is whether semiconductor strength persists and whether investors can point to evidence that hyperscaler spending and AI infrastructure buildouts remain on track.