Nvidia's Surge Propels S&P 500 to Record High Amid Positive Economic Signals

The S&P 500 reached a record high driven by Nvidia's significant gains and positive economic data. Nvidia's stocks surged due to server orders linked to Elon Musk's AI startup. The tech sector showed strong performance, with key players like Marvell Technology and AMD also seeing notable increases.

The benchmark S&P 500 touched a record high on Thursday, boosted by strong gains in Nvidia, while investors assessed the recent economic data and commentary from Federal Reserve officials to gauge the timing for interest rate cuts this year.

Nvidia shares gained 3.1% to an all-time high, and were set to extend the semiconductor bellwether's lead as the world's most valuable company, after Dell and Super Micro Computer received server orders for Elon Musk's AI startup. Dell and Super Micro's shares rose 5.5% and 9.2%, respectively. Nvidia dethroned Microsoft on Tuesday to become the world's most valuable company. The continued surge by the AI chip leader and softer-than-expected U.S. retail sales data pushed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to close at record highs in the previous session.

Chip stocks Marvell Technology and Advanced Micro Devices also climbed 2.3% and 4.5%, respectively, on Thursday. The S&P 500 Technology index notched a record high, emerging as one of the top sector gainers, also boosted by a 5.7% jump in Accenture after the IT services provider projected annual revenue growth above estimates.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, but overall strength in the jobs market persisted despite a gradual cooling. Another set of data showed U.S. single-family homebuilding fell in May amid continued high mortgage rates. "Weekly jobless claims came pretty much in line, still indicating a relatively good jobs market, housing was a little bit light, but that number's been all over the place," said Paul Nolte, senior wealth advisor and market strategist for Murphy & Sylvest.

"And generally speaking, housing has been good. I don't think this changes the housing outlook at all, and that's part of the reason why you're not getting much of a reaction in the financial markets." Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said it will take a year or two to get inflation back to 2% as wage growth might still be a bit too high, spurring worries of rates staying elevated for longer.

Money markets currently see a 58% chance of a 25-basis point rate cut by the U.S. central bank in September, according to LSEG's FedWatch data. At 9:51 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 109.08 points, or 0.28%, at 38,943.94, the S&P 500 was up 29.81 points, or 0.54%, at 5,503.04, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 52.21 points, or 0.29%, at 17,914.44.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise was up 2.2%. Britain's competition regulator said it was investigating whether the company's planned $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks would result in competition concerns. Trump Media & Technology Group tumbled 14.1% on potential equity dilution after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission declared effective the company's filing for resale of certain shares and warrants, giving it about $247 million in proceeds.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 1.18-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.00-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and four new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 27 new highs and 118 new lows.

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