By Amalya Dubrovsky
Publication Date: 2026-05-20 14:16:00
US stocks mostly rose on Wednesday as Wall Street awaited Nvidia (NVDA) earnings, looking for a strong signal on AI demand to provide some relief from ongoing inflation concerns.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) moved up 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) jumped 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI), which includes fewer tech stocks, fluctuated between positive and negative territory and was flat at last check. On Tuesday, stocks declined as techs pulled back and Treasury yields surged.
Investors are counting down to the release of quarterly results from Nvidia. While shares in the world’s most valuable company have continued to rise this year, chipmaker rivals are closing in. Markets are pricing in a move of about 5.5% for Nvidia shares in either direction following the results, per Bloomberg.
Investors are looking to the results to gauge whether AI demand will continue to boom, as the chipmaker is a linchpin of the industry and could offer clues about whether Big Tech is still spending massively on AI build-outs.
Concerns that sticky inflation will force the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates have dampened interest in growth stocks, including AI, as US bond yields surged to levels not seen in almost two decades. Minutes of the Fed’s April meeting, set for release on Wednesday, will reveal the depth of the differences among policymakers on the path of rates.
The Iran war — a major driver of rising prices — continues with no end in sight….
