FX.co ★ Stock Market on February 25: S&P 500 and NASDAQ return to gains

By the end of yesterday's session, stock indices closed with solid gains. The S&P 500 rose 0.77%, the Nasdaq 100 added 1.04%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.76%.

Indices advanced as traders awaited Nvidia Corp.'s earnings to see whether the chipmaker can reassert itself as the main driver of the artificial intelligence market. Ahead of the open, the S&P 500 futures had already risen about 0.2%. Treasury prices fell as money markets scaled back expectations for US rate cuts. Oil prices remained near their highest levels since July, amid heightened speculation after President Donald Trump intensified suggestions that he is preparing for military action against Iran.

Turning to Nvidia, the company faces a very consequential moment as it is due to report quarterly results after the close. In recent months, the AI leader has underperformed peers in the semiconductor sector. To revive momentum in its shares, Nvidia will at minimum need to beat its prior guidance and set new targets above current Wall Street estimates. Although the company has done so before, concerns are growing that the wave of AI investment may not be sustainable.

Kepler Cheuvreux said that, given the scale of capital spending announced by Nvidia's customers, good results were expected but that everything would depend on the market's reaction, and added that the Nasdaq needed Nvidia to narrow its current lag behind other indices.

Bitcoin has given back some of its initial gains and is trading around $65,500. The dollar weakened after President Trump reaffirmed his commitment to imposing tariffs.

A technical outlook for the S&P 500 suggests that the primary task for buyers today is to overcome the nearest resistance at $6,914. Clearing that level would signal further upside and would open the way to a push toward $6,930. An additional priority for bulls is to hold control above $6,946, which would strengthen buyer positions. Should the market move lower on falling risk appetite, buyers must show strength around $6,896. A break below that level would quickly push the instrument down to $6,883 and open the door to $6,871.