US stocks surged on Friday, closing higher after a tumultuous week, as investors focused on upbeat earnings reports and optimistic forecasts from major companies like AES and Monster Beverage. The S&P 500 rose 1.6% for the day, while the Nasdaq advanced 1.6%, despite concerns over geopolitical tensions.
The energy sector led the gains, with AES climbing 11.7% after posting strong quarterly earnings and a positive outlook for AI data center power needs. Monster Beverage also rose 5.3% as the company narrowly beat revenue growth projections.
However, not all stocks were winners. Nvidia-partner NetApp fell 15.6% after missing revenue expectations and weakening its outlook due to slowing sales growth. HP shares slid 6.8% on concerns over tariffs on China.
Despite these losses, major US equity indexes rallied in the final hours of Friday, closing higher for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged by more than 600 points to post a positive week. For February, the S&P 500 rose 1.6%, while the Nasdaq advanced 1.6% but closed down about 4%. The blue-chip index still fell 1.4% for the month due to earlier losses.
Overall, markets ended the month on a bullish note, driven by strong earnings and optimistic forecasts from major companies.
Source: https://www.investopedia.com/s-and-p-500-gains-and-losses-today-indexes-rally-to-par-february-losses-11688809