Wall Street jumps, Nvidia and Palantir lead AI surge

Wall Street climbed sharply on Monday, with Nvidia up 5.8% and Palantir 8.8%, as artificial intelligence (AI) stocks rebound and progress in Congress raises hopes of ending the U.S. government shutdown.

The Senate cleared an initial hurdle late Sunday on a compromise to restore federal funding, though final approval from Congress remains uncertain.

“The government shutdown lasted longer than expected. There were concerns about the economy, potential flight disruptions, and broader impacts,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management. Tech Stocks Lead the Rebound

Heavyweight tech companies recovered from recent losses. The S&P 500 technology sector index had fallen 4.2% last week. Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, rose 5.8%, while AI analytics firm Palantir jumped 8.8%. Tesla added 3.7%.

Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird, said, “This is a rebound after being slightly oversold last week. The 'buy the dip' approach is acting quickly in the tech and AI space. Earnings in this sector have been strong.”

Overall, the S&P 500 climbed 1.54% to 6,832.43 points, the Nasdaq gained 2.27% to 23,527.17 points — its largest one-day percentage gain since May 27 — and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.81% to 47,368.63 points.

The small-cap Russell 2000 added 0.9%, while the PHLX semiconductor index jumped 3%. Trading volume was relatively light at 17.9 billion shares, compared with a 20-session average of 20.8 billion. Airlines Face Pressure

Airlines were under pressure as flight cuts and air traffic controller shortages continued to disrupt travel. United Airlines fell 1.3%, and American Airlines declined 2.5%. Betting website Polymarket indicated an 88% probability that the shutdown would end this week.

The historic shutdown has left gaps in federal economic data, forcing markets and the Federal Reserve to rely on private indicators, providing a mixed picture. Some Fed officials reiterated caution ahead of upcoming monetary policy decisions, while Fed Governor Stephen Miran called for a significant rate cut. AI Optimism and Earnings Season

The AI sector has fuelled a broader bull run in U.S. stocks this year, though monetisation concerns and internal spending previously triggered a market sell-off. Last week, the Nasdaq recorded its worst performance in more than seven months.

Third-quarter earnings season is nearly complete, with 83% of the 446 S&P 500 companies reporting results exceeding expectations, according to LSEG data.

Health insurer stocks fell after the Senate’s shutdown deal excluded extensions for Affordable Care Act subsidies, pushing the issue to a December vote. Centene dropped 8.8%, Humana fell 5.4%, and Elevance Health declined 4.4%.

Metsera plunged 14.8% after Pfizer won a $10 billion bidding war to acquire the company, while Eli Lilly rose 4.6% to a record high following a Leerink Partners upgrade.

Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners in the S&P 500 by a 1.7-to-1 ratio. The S&P 500 recorded 32 new highs and 8 new lows, while the Nasdaq saw 106 new highs and 128 new lows.

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