Wall Street Ends Volatile Week With Gains: Dow Up 612 Points, S&P 500 Rebounds, Nasdaq Climbs 2.1%

Wall Street concluded a turbulent week on a high note, with all three major indices closing in positive territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 612.37 points, or 1.6%, to finish at 38,942.41, marking its best day since mid-December. The S&P 500 climbed 1.3% to 5,135.79, reclaiming ground lost earlier in the week amid shifting inflation expectations and revised Federal Reserve commentary. The Nasdaq Composite led the advance with a 2.1% gain, closing at 16,043.18, fueled by a 4.8% rally in semiconductor stocks and strong earnings from Nvidia and Intel. The rally followed a volatile stretch defined by swings in Treasury yields and mixed economic data. Earlier in the week, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield spiked above 4.8%, triggering sell-offs in growth stocks. However, Friday’s data on consumer confidence and a softer-than-expected jobless claims report helped ease fears of aggressive rate hikes. The S&P 500’s weekly performance improved from a loss of 1.7% to a modest gain of 0.3%, while the Nasdaq posted a weekly gain of 1.4%. Technology and communication services sectors drove the rebound, with the Nasdaq-100 gaining 2.5%. Nvidia’s stock surged 7.2% after announcing a new AI chip architecture set for release in Q2 2026. Apple and Microsoft also ended the week with gains, adding 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, financials saw a modest uptick, with JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America rising 1.2% and 1.4%, as investors reassessed credit conditions and interest rate outlooks.