By Howard Smith
Publication Date: 2026-02-06 17:00:00
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 1.97% to 6,932.30, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) gained 2.18% to 23,031.21, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) climbed 2.47% to 50,115.66, closing above 50,000 for the first time.
Market movers
Semiconductor bellwethers such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) led a powerful rebound in AI hardware, while crypto‑exposed MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) surged about 25% as Bitcoin snapped back. In contrast, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) slid on a hefty 2026 capex plan, and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) fell on reduced HBM4 memory chip expectations.
What this means for investors
A broad rally led the Dow to cross the 50,000 mark for the first time. The index closed above that mark, rising about 2.5% for the day. Blue chip names and AI-related hardware stocks participated in the rally. The strong end to the week reinforced confidence that the ongoing bull market may not be ready to end.
It wasn’t a positive week for all the big names, however. A sell-off earlier in the week wiped $1.5 trillion from previously high-flying tech names. Huge capital spending plans from some big tech names still gave investors pause. Even amidst the rally, both Amazon and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) were deeply in the red today.
Risk appetite was on the rebound in general, though. Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) recovered to more than $70,000 after sinking as low as almost $60,000 overnight. Optimism for continued AI-driven demand…