New York (AFP) – Stock markets rose Wednesday on renewed optimism over AI following strong results from data center operator CoreWeave, while the dollar extended a rally on expectations for at least one more Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Wall Street’s main indices enjoyed a buoyant session led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which finished up 1.6 percent.
“The primary catalyst for the upside action is, ironically, one of the primary catalysts for the downside action that had been seen in the AI trade,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare. “That would be CoreWeave, which posted better-than-feared third-quarter results and issued a reassuring outlook that has quieted some of the debt financing concerns surrounding its AI buildout plans,” he added.
CoreWeave said sales would come in at $13-$13.3 billion this year, beating estimates and soothing worries about its ability to finance its heavy debt burden, which fueled a sharp sell-off last month. Shares in CoreWeave surged nearly 25 percent. “This relief trade is carrying across the AI trade complex to include hardware, software, and semiconductor stocks,” said O’Hare.
The gains in US equities came despite signaling from US central bankers that the Fed will lift interest rates in December to address persistent inflation. The dollar rose to its highest level since May 2025 after one top Fed official floated the idea of a 0.5 percentage point interest rate increase next month.
After last week’s rout fueled by fears that Democrats would ramp up regulation of AI, tech stocks have bounced this week on bargain-buying and hopes that fears may have been overdone. “Overall, the market is putting AI doubts to one side and is focusing on revenue potential and mega cap IPO as we move through this week,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.
Semiconductor companies advanced, including scandal-plagued Nvidia, which bounced 3.0 percent after a two-day rout following the bombshell revelation of an affair between CEO Jensen Huang and a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. The firm is now the subject of an FBI investigation.
London, Paris, and Frankfurt stock markets all advanced after a largely positive day in Asia. Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei — where most of Asia’s leading AI-linked firms are listed — enjoyed big gains, with Shanghai also up. Hong Kong, however, fell. Oil prices advanced after sinking Tuesday on hopes for a US-Iran agreement to end their war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
– Key figures at around 2110 GMT –
New York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 52,486.37 (close)
New York – S&P 500: UP 1.3 percent at 7,619.39 (close)
New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.6 percent at 25,466.19 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 10,835.47 (close)
Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 8,332.87 (close)
Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.2 percent at 26,662.77 (close)
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 61,248.59 (close)
Seoul – Kospi: UP 2.6 percent at 5,375.36 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 24,315.92 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,680.64 (close)
Brent North Sea crude: UP 1.4 percent at $92.76 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.6 percent at $86.53 per barrel
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1092 from $1.1164 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3278 from $1.3344
Dollar/yen: UP at 159.86 from 158.75 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.54 from 83.65 pence
© 2024 AFP
