CoreWeave Earnings Fuel AI Optimism as US Stocks Rally on Strong AI Infrastructure Results

US stocks: S&P 500 ends higher as CoreWeave results fuel AI optimism

US stock markets closed higher on Wednesday, driven by strong AI infrastructure company earnings. Mild inflation data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady. CoreWeave and other AI firms reported upbeat quarterly results, boosting their stock prices. Data center operators and chipmakers also saw gains following positive company forecasts. Traders now anticipate a 62% chance of the Fed maintaining current interest rates next month. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended higher on Wednesday, lifted by upbeat quarterly results from CoreWeave and other AI infrastructure firms, while mild inflation data reinforced bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady ⁠in September. U.S. ⁠consumer prices barely increased in July as the cost of gasoline declined for a second straight month, while underlying inflation was benign, further reducing expectations of an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve next month. "The numbers came in right in line. The market's reaction is slightly positive because the market was fearful it was going to come in worse than it did. You're seeing a market thinking that the Fed is not being pushed toward a rate ⁠hike," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth in Fairfield, Connecticut. CoreWeave surged after the AI cloud company lifted its annual capital spending forecast and topped second-quarter earnings estimates. US MarketsPowered By As on 13 Aug 2026, 01:16 AM IST S&P 500 Top Gainers Super Micro Computer37.77(19.51%) Dell Technologies480.23(8.90%) Hewlett Packard58.41(7.41%) Seagate Technology Hldgs875.41(6.69%) Gainers" S&P 500 Top Losers Coterra Energy32.56(-8.62%) Texas Pacific Land343.02(-6.01%) First Solar227.26(-5.66%) Cencora315.15(-5.61%) Losers" Data ⁠center operators also rose, with IREN and Applied Digital both up. Data center company Nebius Group jumped following second-quarter results that beat expectations. Super Micro Computer surged after the AI server maker forecast fiscal 2027 revenue above Wall Street expectations. Chipmakers gained, with Nvidia and Micron Technology both climbing. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 20.38 points, or 0.26%, to end at 7,748.58 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 145.70 points, or 0.55%, to 26,588.49. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 30.28 points, or 0.06%, to 53,761.57. Traders are now pricing in a 62% chance of the Fed holding rates at its September meeting, according to CME's FedWatch Tool. Before the July inflation data was released, bets were split between a hike ⁠and no change. The conflict between the U.S. and Iran remained volatile as a senior Iranian source said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal reached in June and define a time frame to implement it, while shipping attacks continued. Cava Group advanced after the restaurant chain beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter sales and core profit. Lumentum Holdings surged after the photonic product maker forecast first-quarter revenue above analysts' expectations and beat fourth-quarter estimates.

US stocks: CoreWeave, Super Micro surge on signs of sustained AI buildout

CoreWeave and Super Micro have seen their stock prices soar to new heights amid a rising tide of demand for AI infrastructure. CoreWeave has updated its expectations for annual revenue and operating profit, signaling strong market confidence. Similarly, Super Micro's projections for 2027 revenue exceed Wall Street estimates, reflecting robust investment in AI servers and computing capabilities. Shares of CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer jumped to their highest since June on Wednesday after upbeat forecasts from the two AI infrastructure companies signaled booming demand for computing capacity. Both companies have been beneficiaries of ⁠the insatiable demand ⁠for AI infrastructure, as data center operators build out the hardware needed for generative-AI workloads. US MarketsPowered By As on 12 Aug 2026, 09:09 PM IST S&P 500 Top Gainers Super Micro Computer35.68(12.91%) Seagate Technology Hldgs882.26(7.52%) Teradyne405.25(6.77%) Akamai Technologies124.45(6.67%) Gainers" S&P 500 Top Losers Coterra Energy32.56(-8.62%) First Solar226.65(-5.92%) Texas Pacific Land346.95(-4.94%) Charter Communications150.29(-4.70%) Losers" Shares of AI cloud provider CoreWeave rose more than 19%, with peer Nebius Group rising 23% as it beat quarterly revenue estimates. Server maker Super Micro's shares climbed more than 13%. Data center companies Applied Digital and IREN Ltd were also up 4% and 8%, respectively. Shares of Dell were 5% higher. CoreWeave is on track to add around $8 billion to its market value, while ⁠Super Micro could add more than $2 billion, if gains persist. More than seven brokerages raised their price targets on both CoreWeave and Super Micro stocks. CoreWeave raised its forecasts ⁠for annual revenue, adjusted operating profit and capital spending, as strong demand for its Nvidia-powered AI infrastructure enabled the company to secure better pricing on new contracts. Near-term capacity is effectively sold out, enabling CoreWeave to strike compute agreements on increasingly favorable terms, CEO Michael Intrator said. Its revenue backlog rose to $104.2 billion in the second quarter from $99.4 billion three months earlier, excluding over $25 billion in new commitments secured early this quarter. "Some investors may be spooked by the increased capex guidance, but the pricing environment would suggest that project returns are strengthening, even if unit costs are going up too," MoffettNathanson analysts said in a note. Tech companies have boosted their capital expenditure to feed the AI ⁠boom, piling on massive debt in the process, and in turn prompting a surge in hedging against the default risk of these heavily indebted 'hyperscalers'. Major U.S. financial institutions are also seeking to capitalize on the data center buildout. Bank of America pledged $250 billion for U.S. infrastructure financing by July 2027, days after a similar announcement from Morgan Stanley. Super Micro forecast 2027 revenue above Wall Street estimates, underscoring resilient customer investment in AI servers. The company's fourth-quarter gross margin of 17.5% exceeded both its preliminary estimate of 15%-17% and its initial forecast of 8.2%-8.4%.

US Stock Market Rises as CoreWeave, Super Micro Shares Surge on AI Demand

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management strategist Ellen Zentner said, "In-line inflation will keep the 'no need to hike rates' narrative" intact. She added that another inflation report will arrive before the September meeting. Technology stocks supplied most of Wednesday's market gains. The S&P 500 information technology sector rose 1.2%, while the Philadelphia semiconductor index gained about 3%. Nvidia shares advanced 2%, Broadcom climbed 1.4%, and Micron Technology gained 4.4%. Dell Technologies and Cisco Systems also traded higher as investors returned to AI-linked companies. Additionally, jumped about 20% after reporting second-quarter results above market expectations. Revenue doubled from the prior year, while its adjusted operating margin reached 5%. The AI cloud provider also raised its annual capital spending forecast. CoreWeave expects 2026 capital expenditure between $35 billion and $39 billion. Super Micro Computer also gained as much as 17% after issuing an upbeat fiscal 2027 revenue forecast. Nebius rose about 15.5% after its cloud unit recorded a 514% increase in quarterly sales. IREN and Applied Digital gained 7.8% and 5.5%, respectively.

S&P 500 rises as CoreWeave results fuel AI optimism

Aug 12 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose on Wednesday, lifted by upbeat quarterly results from CoreWeave and other AI infrastructure firms, while mild inflation data reinforced bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady in September. U.S. consumer prices barely increased in July as the cost of gasoline declined for a second straight month, while underlying inflation was benign, further reducing expectations of an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve next month. "The numbers came in right in line. The market's reaction is slightly positive because the market was fearful it was going to come in worse than it did. You're seeing a market thinking that the Fed is not being pushed toward a rate hike," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth in Fairfield, Connecticut. CoreWeave surged 19% after the AI cloud company lifted its annual capital spending forecast and topped second-quarter earnings estimates. Data center operators also rose, with IREN gaining 8.6% and Applied Digital up 3.8%. Data center company Nebius Group jumped 28%, helped by second-quarter results that beat expectations. Super Micro Computer surged 18% after the AI server maker forecast fiscal 2027 revenue above Wall Street expectations. Chipmakers gained, with Nvidia rising 3% and Micron Technology adding 7%. The PHLX Semiconductor Index advanced about 3.4% and was on track for its biggest one-day jump in more than a week. The S&P 500 was up 0.29% at 7,750.89 points. The Nasdaq gained 0.57% to 26,597.22 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.03% at 53,808.15 points. Lifted by upbeat quarterly earnings reports, the S&P 500 notched a record-high close on Friday, and it is up about 13% so far in 2026. Eight of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes rose, led by information technology, up 1.18%, followed by a 0.98% gain in real estate. Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, briefly touched a seven-month low and was last down 0.68 point at 14.60. Traders are now pricing in a 62% chance of the Fed holding rates at its September meeting, according to CME's FedWatch Tool. Before the July inflation data was released, bets were split between a hike and no change. The conflict between the U.S. and Iran remained volatile as a senior Iranian source said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal reached in June and define a time frame to implement it, while shipping attacks continued. Cava Group advanced 13% after the restaurant chain beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter sales and core profit. Lumentum Holdings surged 17% after the photonic product maker forecast first-quarter revenue above analysts' expectations and beat fourth-quarter estimates. The S&P 500 posted 15 new highs and 2 new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 95 new highs and 86 new lows. (Reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Avinash P and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Pooja Desai and Matthew Lewis) By Noel Randewich and Purvi Agarwal

Strong AI earnings lift S&P 500, Nasdaq as inflation data calms rate-hike jitters

Aug 12 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose on Wednesday as upbeat earnings from AI infrastructure firms boosted technology stocks, while largely in-line inflation data reinforced bets the U.S. Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady in September. The S&P 500 information technology sector jumped 1.2%, leading sector gains on the benchmark index as investors bet on AI-fueled demand sustaining momentum. CoreWeave surged 19% after the AI cloud company lifted its annual capital spending forecast and topped second-quarter earnings estimates. Other AI infrastructure providers also rose, including data-center operators IREN and Applied Digital, which gained 7% and 3.4%, respectively. Neocloud company Nebius Group jumped 25%, helped by second-quarter results. Super Micro Computer topped the S&P 500 with a 15% climb after the AI-server maker forecast fiscal 2027 revenue above Wall Street expectations. Chipmakers gained, with Nvidia rising 2.6% and Micron Technology adding 6.4%. The broader semiconductor index advanced about 3.1% and was on track for its biggest one-day jump in more than a week. "(AI trades) have more to run for good reason. There's tremendous funding ahead and revenue scale for many... there's further legs ahead. The demand for compute is at record highs," said Eric Schiffer, chairman of The Patriarch Organization, a Los Angeles-based family office. "You're going to see continued signs and signals and deals and funding related to AI and AI has been powering this market." At 11:59 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 9.21 points, or 0.02%, to 53,801.06, the S&P 500 gained 14.39 points, or 0.19%, to 7,742.59 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 102.48 points, or 0.39%, to 26,547.92. The gains brought the tech-heavy Nasdaq within 2.2% of a record high. The S&P 500 and the Dow have already scaled peaks last week as upbeat earnings lifted sentiment. Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, briefly touched a seven-month low and was last down 0.49 points at 14.79. Investors also assessed U.S. consumer prices data, which increased slightly in July, weakening the argument for the central bank to hike interest rates next month. Traders are now pricing in a 62% chance of the Fed holding rates at its September meeting, according to CME's FedWatch Tool. Before the data was released, they were split between a hike and no change. Economic data, especially inflation figures, have drawn increased scrutiny as elevated energy prices due to the Middle East conflict raised rate-hike bets and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh stayed firm on muted forward guidance. The situation in the Middle East remained volatile as a senior Iranian source said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it, while shipping attacks continued. In other stocks, Cava Group advanced 13.3% after the restaurant chain beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter sales and core profit. Lumentum Holdings added 15% after the photonic product maker forecast first-quarter revenue above analysts' expectations and beat fourth-quarter estimates. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.4-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.25-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 79 new highs and 74 new lows. (Reporting by Avinash P and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai) By Avinash P and Purvi Agarwal