Ines Ferré
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Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as Nvidia and chip stocks jump
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Tech led US stocks higher Thursday as TSMC's (TSM) upbeat outlook eased worries about artificial intelligence chip demand, helping lift shares of chip heavyweight Nvidia (NVDA) to an intraday all-time high. Strong retail sales data also reinforced overall strength in the US economy.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose more than 0.2%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) added 0.1% after briefly touching an intraday record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) also rose 0.3% to hover near all-time highs.
Contract chipmaker TSMC posted a 54% jump in quarterly profit to beat Wall Street estimates and raised its forecast for 2024 revenue growth amid surging AI demand. The outlook boost from the main chipmaker for Apple (AAPL) and Nvidia reassured a market spooked by ASML's (ASML) downbeat sales forecast, reviving hopes for an AI boom.
TSMC's US-listed shares climbed as much as 12.5%, poised to cross a $1 trillion market valuation if the gains hold in the regular session. Its forecast helped spur a rally in chip stocks, including Arm (ARM), Broadcom (AVGO), and Nvidia, which all were up more than 2%.
On the data front, retail sales jumped 0.4%, more than the 0.3% rise expected, giving credence to the argument the economy could be reaccelerating following a surprisingly strong September jobs report. Weekly jobless claims came in at 241,000, far below expectations, and a drop from the prior week's upwardly revised 260,000. The data released Thursday morning was watched by investors debating whether the Federal Reserve will hold off from cutting interest rates in November.
After a stellar showing by big banks, the focus is now on Big Tech earnings to wipe away the disappointments of the last quarter. After the bell, Netflix (NFLX) becomes the first megacap to report, with Wall Street on watch for price-hike news to potentially lift the stock.
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Nvidia and other chip stocks surge after TSMC forecasts strong AI demand for ‘many years’
Optimism over AI demand in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSM) blowout third quarter earnings was boosting chip stocks across the board on Thursday, sending shares of chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) to record highs.
As Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reported earlier, TSMC posted a quarterly profit of $325.3 billion New Taiwan dollars ($10.1 billion), up 54% from the prior year, surpassing Wall Street’s forecasts. The company also raised its full-year sales outlook.
US-listed TSMC shares jumped 13% on the news to all-time highs, pushing the company's market capitalization past the $1 trillion mark.
TSMC is a major supplier to Nvidia. Shares of the AI chip heavyweight rose more than 3% to touch an intraday record, while Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Qualcomm (QCOM) and Broadcom (AVGO) also gained.
Read more here.
Chip stocks soared on Thursday after TSMC's blowout quarter. Gold touches record high to hold above $2,700 per ounce
Gold touched a record high on Thursday, giving fuel to the bulls' argument that the precious metal’s rally this year isn’t over.
Gold futures (GC=F) jumped more than 0.5% to hover above $2,706 per ounce. Spot gold also rose to a daily high just north of $2,690.
Year to date, gold is up more than 30%, beating out the S&P 500's (^GSPC) gain of roughly 22%.
The expectation that the Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates coupled with central banks' accumulation of the yellow metal has made gold one of the best-performing commodities of 2024.
