FX.co ★ US Stocks Top New Highs

U.S. stocks saw an uptick on Friday, with the three major indices climbing approximately 0.2% to reach new all-time highs. This positive movement was buoyed by the growing optimism surrounding advancements in artificial intelligence and newly formed corporate alliances. Noteworthy collaborations included those between Hitachi and OpenAI, as well as Fujitsu and Nvidia. Additionally, reports emerged about Global Infrastructure Partners engaging in discussions to acquire Aligned Data Centers. Despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, now in its third day—which has already postponed the release of crucial economic data, including the eagerly awaited jobs report—traders remained largely unfazed. The energy and health sectors led the gains, while communication services underperformed. Among tech giants, performance was mixed: Nvidia gained 0.5%, Microsoft and Amazon each increased by 0.2%, Broadcom rose by 1.4%, and Tesla by 1.3%. Meanwhile, Apple hovered near its previous level, while Meta and Alphabet declined by 0.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Over the week, the S&P 500 rose nearly 1.1%, the Dow Jones increased by 0.6%, and the Nasdaq surged by 1.6%.