Nasdaq Bounces 1.5% as Chipmakers Steady Markets After Strong U.S. Jobs Data

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose nearly 1.5% on Friday, rebounding from a multi-day slide as investors moved back into semiconductor and artificial intelligence equities following an October employment report that beat Wall Street forecasts.

The advance offered immediate stability to technology portfolios after a bruising post-election sell-off earlier in the week that erased trillions of dollars in market valuation. That rout pulled the Nasdaq Composite more than 5% lower into correction territory amid escalating investor scrutiny over ballooning data-center capital spending and potential regulatory headwinds.

According to market reporting published by Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/m/259a2432-7041-3624-978f-9a7336f10b31/stock-market-today%3A-nasdaq.html?.tsrc=rss) from Investor's Business Daily, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.45% to close near 24,668.54. The broader S&P 500 rose 0.67% to 7,403.04, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged the broader market, dipping 0.23% to 51,403.61.

Friday's trading momentum turned on the monthly employment summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 165,000 in October, well above consensus expectations of 70,000 and accelerating sharply from the 29,000 positions added in September. The national unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, while average hourly earnings increased 0.4% month over month.

Semiconductor leaders anchored the rebound in tech equities. Shares of Nvidia gained over 3.6% during the session, reversing a portion of the steep losses incurred during the mid-week semiconductor drawdown. Amazon added 0.27%, while Moderna surged roughly 8.9% after reporting third-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street projections.

Despite Friday's relief rally, macroeconomic tensions remain prominent across capital-intensive tech sectors. While strong payroll expansion eased immediate fears of a sharp economic slowdown, it also affirmed expectations that the Federal Reserve may prolong tight monetary conditions. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly warned on Friday that further interest-rate increases could be warranted to keep consumer prices in check, despite recent volatility in equity markets.

Market participants now look to forthcoming consumer price index readings and the Federal Reserve's December policy meeting to determine whether higher-for-longer borrowing costs will begin curbing enterprise AI infrastructure budgets heading into 2027.