IXIC: Nasdaq Gains 1.2% Ahead of Fed and Big Tech Updates. What to Expect Next

AI shares extend their recovery as Asian markets climb, while a firm dollar, renewed oil risks and today’s policy decisions keep the broader outlook unsettled.

📈 Technology leads Wall Street higher

• The Nasdaq Composite IXIC rose 1.2% to 26,477.81 Tuesday, extending its weekly gain to 2%.
• The S&P 500 added 0.6% to 7,722.60, while the Dow gained just 16 points. Most S&P constituents declined, showing that strength in big-shot tech stocks did much of the work. US futures were little changed early Wednesday.
• Broadcom climbed 4% and AMD gained 5.5% as investors returned to semiconductors. A $63 billion financing arrangement involving major banks and Blackstone will fund Broadcom equipment for Anthropic.
• The recovery also reached specialist AI cloud providers: Nebius jumped 11.2%, CoreWeave gained 8% and Dell advanced 7.5%. Anthropic’s IPO disclosures helped restore confidence in sustained infrastructure spending.
• Meta fell another 1.6% after expanding its potential fundraising plan to $97.5 billion, including a $25 billion common-stock offering priced at $625.
• Nvidia separately announced a $3 billion investment and closer cooperation on Muse. Investors are weighing the benefit of fresh capital against dilution and the growing financial connections between chip suppliers and their customers.

🌏 Asia rallies as FX delivers surprises

• Japan’s Nikkei gained 1.2% and South Korea’s Kospi climbed more than 3% in early trading. SK Hynix reinforced the AI demand story with a 632% increase in quarterly operating profit.
• Europe entered the session after the Stoxx 600 gained 0.5% Tuesday, while early Euro Stoxx 50 futures were broadly flat. Currency markets remained more cautious: the dollar index held near a two-week high around 102.37.
• The New Zealand dollar fell more than 1% after the RBNZ unexpectedly held rates at 2.75% in a narrow 4–3 vote. All members still considered tighter policy likely to be necessary. Australia supplied the opposite impulse: hot inflation data lifted the Aussie toward $0.7050.
• Oil rebounded after the Houthis claimed a missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery, an attack Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed. Brent rose toward $115.40 and WTI reached $101.10.

🏦 Policy and earnings take center stage

• Gold held near $4,058 an ounce, retaining Tuesday’s recovery despite the firm dollar. Bitcoin also reclaimed $80,000, finishing Tuesday around $80,900 after trading below $79,500. Both now face the Fed test.
• Robinhood supplied a less encouraging crypto signal. Its shares fell 8% after hours following a quarterly profit miss. Crypto transaction revenue dropped 55% year over year to $120 million, although record overall revenue and strong options and prediction-market activity provided offsets.
• The Fed announces its decision at 2 p.m. ET, with a hold at 3.75%–4% widely expected. Treasury yields remain near 5%, keeping borrowing costs prominent in the equity outlook.
• Traders will scrutinize Kevin Warsh’s guidance on further tightening. Earlier, the Bank of Canada announces its decision and updated forecasts at 9:45 a.m. ET.
• Microsoft and Alphabet report after Wednesday’s close, shifting attention to cloud growth, AI revenue and cash generation.
• Thursday brings Amazon’s results, US GDP, PCE inflation and the ECB decision, followed by the BOJ on Friday. The rally enters that stretch with renewed momentum, but earnings and policy must now support investors’ improving expectations.