Today’s Market Recap: Nasdaq Hits Record High as Tech Rallies on AI Growth; Tesla Q1 Beats Estimates Amid Spending Surge

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TradingKey - The S&P 500 climbed 1.03% to 7,137.12, while the Nasdaq Composite  surged 1.64% to 24,657.57, marking a new record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.69% to reach 49,490.02 as markets experienced a widespread relief rally.

Mega-cap technology shares spearheaded the gains, led by a 2% rise in Alphabet (GOOG) following the debut of new AI processors and strategic alliances. Coinbase  (COIN) jumped 5% as the cryptocurrency sector rallied on "truce" reports, fostering a robust risk-on atmosphere. Additionally, cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike gained 4% following a positive analyst upgrade.

In the semiconductor space, Western Digital (WDC) rose 1.38% to $389.10, while SanDisk (SNDK) soared 8.37% to end at $979.07, as AI-driven demand continued to provide a tailwind for chipmakers.

NuScale Power (SMR), a developer of small modular reactors, finished Wednesday at $13.57, a gain of 16.28%. The stock rose after new research emphasized its significant discount relative to previous highs and analyzed its potential alongside Oklo (OKLO) within an estimated $10 trillion nuclear energy resurgence. Market participants are monitoring the company's ability to translate this momentum into secured projects and financing.

Micron Technology (MU), a major player in memory and storage, closed at $487.48, up 8.48%. The rally was driven by sustained optimism regarding AI-related memory demand and reports of a ceasefire in Iran.

Medical technology firm Boston Scientific (BSX) rose 8.99% to close at $64.87. The stock surged despite lowered 2026 guidance, as investors focused on a first-quarter earnings beat. Analysts are now evaluating how these adjusted targets will influence future growth and valuation. Trading activity was exceptionally high, with 40.4 million shares changing hands — approximately 138% above the three-month average of 17 million. Since its 1992 initial public offering, Boston Scientific has seen its value increase by 1,415%.

Market Headline

Donald Trump stated that peace talks between the U.S. and Iran could resume as early as Friday, though Iran dismissed the claim as another "lie." Israeli media reported that Trump has set a ceasefire deadline for Iran expiring on the 26th. While Tehran claims it has not altered its decision to avoid negotiations, the Iranian President noted a consistent openness to resolving issues through dialogue. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament emphasized that a comprehensive ceasefire is only meaningful if the maritime blockade is lifted, warning that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened if the ceasefire is seriously violated. Previously, U.S. media reported Trump is willing to extend the ceasefire by 3 to 5 days but not "indefinitely," while Pakistani sources suggest a mediation effort has increased the likelihood of talks restarting within the next 36 to 72 hours.

Trump declared he would "remember" companies that do not seek tariff refunds. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared Trump's tariffs illegal, a window for over $160 billion in refunds opened, evolving into a political standoff. While giants like Apple and Amazon have yet to take action, Levi Strauss expects roughly $80 million in refunds, and retailers like Gap are also positioning themselves. If the refunds are processed, several companies are expected to upwardly revise their full-year earnings guidance.

Tesla (TSLA)'s Q1 revenue grew at its fastest pace in three years, with earnings exceeding expectations and cash flow doubling, though Elon Musk warned of a significant surge in spending. Total revenue and automotive income both rose 16% year-over-year, driven by rebounding demand in Europe and North America. While energy revenue fell 12%, service revenue jumped 42%, and paid Robotaxi mileage nearly doubled sequentially. Gross margin rose to a three-year high of 21%, and the company invested $2 billion in SpaceX equity. Tesla aims to build the world's largest chip factory in partnership with SpaceX, noting that Cortex 2 is online and Dojo 3 development is progressing. Plans for an Optimus factory involve a first-generation capacity of 1 million units annually, targeting 10 million for the second generation. After initially rising 4% post-earnings, the stock fell over 2% after the CFO projected that annual capital expenditures would exceed $250 billion.

OpenAI released "Privacy Filter," an open-source privacy filtering model capable of running locally to mask sensitive personal information with high precision. The tool automatically identifies and blocks eight categories of sensitive data, including names, account numbers, and passwords, without requiring server uploads. Unlike traditional tools, its primary advantage lies in context awareness, allowing it to distinguish between public information and private data. The model was released to the open-source community to strengthen the developer ecosystem.

Google introduced two eighth-generation TPU chips, splitting its hardware into the 8T for training and the 8I for inference. Designed to reduce inference costs and support the large-scale deployment of AI agents, these chips are expected to be available later this year. Additionally, Google Cloud launched the Gemini enterprise agent platform to address gaps in memory and collaboration, targeting the automation market. Amid a surge in inference demand, Google is utilizing its restructured computing power and application-layer positioning to challenge the market dominance of Nvidia (NVDA) and OpenAI.

Top 10 Most Traded Stocks

The chart below lists the ten most actively traded stocks in the market last Friday. Bolstered by massive trading volume and exceptional liquidity, these assets have become key benchmarks for tracking global market dynamics.