
US stocks moved higher on Friday as AI demand signals boosted some stocks and data-starved investors got a read on American consumer sentiment amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) added 0.3%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) nudged up around 0.1% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose 0.2%.
Markets have had an uncertain week, pulled in different directions by AI demand hopes and US government shutdown worries. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq looked set for small weekly wins on Friday despite retreating from record highs during the previous trading session, while the Dow eyed a decline.
Optimism for AI demand got a boost on Friday as data center developer Applied Digital (APLD) posted a quarterly revenue beat, fueling a 30% surge in the stock. The move helped lift some AI infrastructure-linked stocks, with fellow data center developer CoreWeave (CRWV) adding 4% and chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) moving up to build on the previous day’s all-time high — even as China cracked down on its chips.
Meanwhile, private data was in focus for investors as the release of official economic data has been delayed due to the US government shutdown, which entered its 10th day. The University of Michigan’s reading on consumer sentiment in October, released Friday morning, showed Americans feeling slightly better about the economy than expected.
In the meantime, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said it recalled furloughed staff to prepare the September edition of the Consumer Price Index — a key indicator of inflation — for release by the end of October, Bloomberg reported. The CPI update was originally scheduled to be released next week, on Oct. 15.
Elsewhere, gold (GC=F) rose to above $4,000 an ounce, recovering from a dip in earlier morning trade to return to rally mode. The hunt for havens also lifted silver (SI=F), which jumped for a second day as it continued to outpace gold’s gains.
Looking ahead, investors are counting down for earnings season to start in earnest next week, led by JPMorgan (JPM) and Citigroup (C). Performance is expected to be softer, with analysts betting tariffs will bite into revenue for the quarter.
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Applied Digital stock soars after revenue beat, CoreWeave deal
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