The S&P 500 climbed more than 0.5% on Friday and the Nasdaq advanced over 1.5%, while the Dow ended roughly unchanged. The rebound came after a sharp sell-off in the prior session—the worst single-day loss since April 2025—which had pushed the Nasdaq into correction territory.
The previous decline was driven by worries that Democratic gains in the midterm elections could usher in stricter regulation of the AI industry and dampen investment in the sector. Those concerns sparked heavy selling in technology and AI-related shares and fueled a broader risk-off tone across markets.
On Friday, however, a strong comeback in chipmakers helped stabilize sentiment as dip buyers stepped in, powering a sharp recovery in technology stocks. Nvidia rose more than 3%, Micron gained 5%, AMD surged nearly 10%, Tesla advanced over 4.5%, and Lam Research jumped 8%. Among the major hyperscalers, Alphabet added more than 1% and Meta gained over 2%.
Economic data also drew attention, with nonfarm payrolls beating expectations and the unemployment rate ticking lower. For the week, the S&P 500 is down nearly 3%, the Dow is off more than 1%, and the Nasdaq is lower by around 5%.