Nasdaq Rises as AI Stocks Rebound Ahead of Year-End: Live Market Updates

The Nasdaq Composite climbed on Friday, boosted by strong gains in Oracle and renewed optimism in artificial intelligence stocks as the market looks to close the year on a positive note.

The tech-heavy index rose 1.1%, while the S&P 500 added 0.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 255 points (0.5%).

Oracle Surges After TikTok Deal Boost

Oracle shares jumped over 7% after TikTok agreed to sell its U.S. operations to a new joint venture involving the software major and private equity firm Silver Lake.

The rebound comes after Oracle’s stock came under pressure earlier this week due to concerns over the loss of a key cloud data center backer—an update that rattled several AI-linked stocks such as Broadcom and AMD.

Nvidia, Micron Help Lift AI Trade

AI chip leader Nvidia rose more than 3% following reports that the Trump administration is reviewing permissions for the company to sell advanced AI chips to China. President Donald Trump earlier said Nvidia could ship H200 chips to “approved” customers.

Micron Technology continued its strong run, gaining over 7% after Thursday’s 10% jump. The chipmaker issued upbeat revenue guidance, saying demand is expected to exceed supply “for the foreseeable future.” The update calmed investor nerves after recent volatility in AI-related stocks.

Despite the bounce, semiconductor stocks remain about 4% below recent highs.

Nike Slumps on Weak China Performance

Shares of Nike slid more than 9% after the company reported declining revenue in its Greater China segment for Q2. Rising tariff-related costs also hit gross margins.

Volatility Expected as ‘Quadruple Witching’ Arrives

Markets may remain choppy today due to quadruple witching, when options on four major types of securities expire simultaneously.

More than $7.1 trillion in notional options exposure is set to expire — the largest on record, according to Goldman Sachs.

This comes a day after both the S&P 500 and Dow snapped a four-session losing streak.

Analysts See Broader Rally in 2026

“The timing of returns on AI investments still remains uncertain,” said Magdalena Ocampo, strategist at Principal Asset Management. “But monetary easing, fiscal support and reduced trade uncertainty, combined with AI spending, could drive a broader equity rally in 2026.”

So far this week, the S&P 500 and Dow are down roughly 0.8% and 1%, respectively, while the Nasdaq has slipped 0.8%.

Market Updates

13 Minutes Ago – Europe Financials ETF Hits Record High

The iShares MSCI Europe Financials ETF (EUFN) jumped nearly 1% and reached a new intraday all-time high. The fund is on track for its best year since its launch in 2010, supported by strong gains in banks such as SocGen, Commerzbank, Santander, BBVA, ABN AMRO, and Deutsche Bank.

45 Minutes Ago – U.S. Markets Open Higher

At the opening bell, the S&P 500 gained 0.5%, the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6%, and the Dow added 201 points (0.4%).

1 Hour Ago – NY Fed President on CPI Distortion

New York Fed President John Williams said that “technical factors” likely pushed November’s inflation reading lower than expected.

Data collection delays in October and early November may have artificially reduced CPI by “a tenth or so,” he said on CNBC’s Squawk Box.