01 Stock Market
As of Feb 3, the U.S. major indexes closed as follows: the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.05% to 49,407.66; the S&P 500 added 0.54% to 6,976.44; and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.56% to 23,592.11.
Unusual-move U.S. stocks saw sharp swings in semiconductors, megacaps, and precious-metals proxies. NVDA down 2.89% at $185.61; TSLA down 2.00% at $421.81; AMD up 4.03% at $246.27; INTC up 5.04% at $48.81; MU up 5.52% at $437.80; AAPL up 4.06% at $270.01; MSFT down 1.61% at $423.37; META down 1.41% at $706.41; AMZN up 1.53% at $242.96; ORCL down 2.75% at $160.06; GOOG up 1.88% at $344.90; PLTR up 0.80% at $147.76; precious metals proxies: GLD down 4.00% at $427.13; SLV down 3.98% at $72.44; AGQ down 7.34% at $148.40; UGL down 7.68% at $62.66; notable surge: SNDK up 15.44% at $665.24.
Broader U.S.-listed vehicles also reflected the day’s dispersion. Tech-heavy ETFs: QQQ up 0.69% at $626.14; SPY up 0.50% at $695.41; VOO up 0.54% at $639.68; leveraged tech beta: TQQQ up 2.04% at $55.10. Semiconductor beta: SOXL up 5.52% at $65.20. Crypto-adjacent: MSTR down 6.73% at $139.63. Selected ADRs: XPEV down 8.29% at $16.49. These moves align with intraday headlines around AI funding, chip demand, and metals volatility, which we discuss below.
02 Other Markets
U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose by 0.01%, latest at 4.28.
USD/CNH rose 0.0000%, at 6.95; USD/HKD rose 0.0102%, at 7.81.
U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.0277%, at 97.58.
WTI crude futures fell 0.37%, at 61.91 USD/bbl; COMEX gold futures rose 2.42%, at 4,765.10 USD/oz.
03 Top News
Palantir reported stronger-than-expected earnings and lifted its outlook, boosting shares. The company said adjusted EPS was 25 cents vs. consensus 23 cents, with revenue at $1.41 billion vs. $1.34 billion expected. U.S. quarterly revenue topped $1 billion for the first time, operating margin was 41%, and it converted 47% of sales to free cash flow, with over $7 billion in cash.
Chinese EV makers disclosed mixed January deliveries, pressuring peers and sentiment. Li Auto sold 27,668 vehicles (down ~8% year over year), NIO sold 27,182 (up ~100% year over year), and XPeng sold 20,011 (down 34% year over year). Combined sales were up 1%, the slowest growth since early 2023, with weakness feeding into U.S.-listed EV names.
Nvidia’s contemplated major investment in OpenAI was reported to have stalled, raising questions. A report indicated an up to $100 billion stake has faced delays, while Nvidia’s CEO has expressed continued interest in OpenAI’s financing round. The uncertainty introduces risk to parts of the AI supply chain, affecting market views on AI infrastructure commitments.
Snowflake announced a $200 million multi-year partnership with OpenAI to bring advanced models to enterprise data. OpenAI’s models will be natively available in Snowflake Cortex AI across major clouds, enabling customers to deploy AI agents over governed data. The collaboration aims to accelerate AI application deployment for large organizations.
Fitch assigned Oracle’s proposed senior notes a BBB rating and affirmed its IDRs with a Stable outlook. Fitch expects elevated AI-related capex and forecasts Oracle may raise $45–$50 billion in cash through notes and equity to fund compute expansion. Leverage is projected to rise near term and then improve as AI contracts contribute to revenue and EBITDA.
The U.S. administration moved to launch Project Vault, a strategic critical-minerals stockpile to reduce reliance on China. The initiative combines $1.67 billion in private capital with a $10 billion Export-Import Bank loan, targeting minerals like gallium and cobalt. Participation from major manufacturers and traders aims to stabilize input costs and mitigate supply shocks.
Disney reported surging streaming profitability and flagged headwinds in international visitation to U.S. parks. Operating income for Disney+ and Hulu rose 72% to $450 million, while experiences revenue increased 6% amid cruise and spending strength. Management is shifting more marketing to domestic visitors as the board weighs CEO succession.
SpaceX entered advanced talks to combine with xAI, signaling possible consolidation across Musk’s ventures. People familiar said an agreement could be announced soon, though deliberations may change timeline or outcome. The discussions come alongside reported exploration of broader collaboration options across Musk-led companies.
OpenAI was reported to be pursuing a significant new fundraising round ahead of a potential public listing. Reports indicated up to $100 billion in fundraising at a potential valuation near $830 billion, with consideration from large ecosystem partners. Expanded funding would ripple across AI infrastructure demand and supplier commitments.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank board was set to vote on a record-setting 15-year loan to support Project Vault. The prospective loan, more than double the next-largest deal, would underwrite mineral procurement for key industries. The move aims to cushion manufacturers against price volatility and secure strategic inputs.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: This content is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice.