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U.S. stock market futures today surge as AI optimism drives Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq higher – Tesla, Nvidia, AMD lead rally

By Piyush Shukla

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U.S. stock market futures today surge as AI optimism drives Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq higher – Tesla, Nvidia, AMD lead rally

ETMarkets.comU.S. stock futures surge as AI optimism drives Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq higher – Tesla, Nvidia, AMD lead rally amid 3-day government shutdown

U.S. stock futures moved higher on Friday morning, showing strength even as the federal government shutdown entered its third day. Investors seemed focused on Wall Street’s rally, with optimism in technology and artificial intelligence driving market momentum across all major indexes.Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 99 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also climbed 0.2% each.The shutdown entered its third day on Friday. It has heightened concerns about inflation, a slowing labor market, and macroeconomic risks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the funding lapse could affect GDP, growth, and federal workers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 750,000 federal employees may be furloughed daily. Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at Wells Fargo, said, “These events have modest negative economic impacts, but reopening the federal bureaucracy erases those nicks to the economy.”Live Events Market analysts suggest that technology remains the backbone of this performance. Companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Tesla continue attracting heavy investor interest. Artificial intelligence remains the primary growth engine, providing optimism even while Washington’s political gridlock dominates national headlines.The Labor Department paused most activity during the shutdown. The September nonfarm payroll report, normally released Friday, was delayed. This removes a key data point for the Federal Reserve’s October interest rate decision. Investors now rely on other indicators to gauge labor market trends.U.S. stock market futures today Indexes remain on track for gains this week: S&P 500: +1.1% week-to-date Dow Jones: +0.6% Nasdaq: +1.6% The Dow Jones futures posted modest gains in early trading. S&P 500 futures also showed strength, while Nasdaq futures led the advance. Together, they are pushing Wall Street closer to record highs, reflecting confidence that corporate profits will stay resilient despite uncertainty in Washington. Markets appear to be signaling that the long-term story — innovation, AI, and digital growth — outweighs the short-term risks of a government shutdown. What role is technology and AI playing in the rally? Technology shares are once again at the heart of Wall Street’s momentum. Companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Tesla have attracted strong premarket interest, showing how much investors are betting on innovation. The sector has been the main driver of stock gains this year, and enthusiasm around artificial intelligence continues to grow.The AI stocks driving today’s gains include:Nvidia (NVDA): Leading the sector with an all-time high, Nvidia is a key player in AI chips and data center hardware, benefiting from strong demand and investments in generative AI.Palantir Technologies (PLTR): Rising sharply due to growing enterprise adoption of its AI software platform, with a 143% increase in stock year-to-date.CoreWeave (CRWV): A cloud platform specialized in hosting generative AI applications, surging over 240% since its IPO in early 2025 and making a major deal with Meta.Nebius Group (NBIS): A hyperscaler focusing on AI infrastructure, with stock soaring more than fourfold this year and expanding ventures into autonomous driving and AI data services.AppLovin (APP): Focuses on AI-powered mobile advertising and analytics solutions, with a revenue surge of 77% year-over-year in Q2 2025 and over 120% stock gain this year.Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Broadcom (AVGO): Growing AI chip segment players, with Broadcom giving a robust forecast for AI chip sales boosting its stock by 44% this year.Cloudflare (NET): Surged 99% in 2025, known for its AI content management and security offerings.Other notable tech giants contributing to AI optimism include Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Google (Alphabet), and Amazon, which continue to invest heavily in AI technologies and cloud infrastructure.These companies collectively underpin the tech sector’s strong gains, driving the current stock market optimism tied to AI advancements and infrastructure expansion.Nvidia (NVDA): Rose 0.9%. Tesla (TSLA): Rebounded 1.8% in premarket after a 5% drop Thursday. AMD (AMD): Surged 3.5%, reflecting AI chip market strength. USA Rare Earth (USAR): Up about 8% after CEO Barbara Humpton said the company is in close talks with the White House. Applied Materials (AMAT): Dropped 3% after announcing U.S. export restrictions could cut Q4 revenue by $110 million. Shares are still up 37% YTD. Investors believe demand for advanced chips and AI-driven products will remain high. This has created strong revenue expectations that keep attracting capital into the sector. Even in a politically tense environment, traders see technology stocks as reliable growth engines. AI has been described as the “new industrial revolution” for markets. It is shaping not only the direction of tech companies but also the performance of the broader indexes. As long as AI spending grows, many analysts believe Wall Street will keep riding this wave of optimism.Ferrari (RACE): Up 18.7% YTD after a buy rating from Berenberg citing strong investor interest.Crude oil trends Crude oil is set for weekly losses. WTI Crude (Nov ’25): $60.84, +0.36 (0.60%) Friday morning WTI weekly: -7.5% Brent weekly: -8.5% This marks the worst weekly performance for both since June. How is the government shutdown affecting markets? The U.S. government is in a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to agree on a funding bill. Several federal agencies are affected, while essential services such as Social Security and Medicare continue to operate.The shutdown has heightened worries about macroeconomic risks, inflation, and a slowing labor market. Investors are watching to see how long the shutdown lasts and what impact it may have. Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at Wells Fargo, said, “These events have modest negative economic impacts, but the eventual reopening of the federal bureaucracy erases those nicks to the economy.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the lapse in funding could impact GDP, growth, and working Americans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 750,000 federal workers may be furloughed each day. For now, Wall Street appears calm, but the longer the shutdown lasts, the higher the risks become. Markets are keeping a close eye on developments in Washington.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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