Employment Upswing & AI-Driven Market Rally! Nasdaq Surges as Anxiety Fades | 2026/3/5 | In-Depth Market Summary with a Unique Perspective
I will look back at last night's U.S. stock market and delve into it from a unique perspective.
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Summary
[NY Dow] +0.49%
[S&P 500] +0.78%
[NASDAQ Composite] +1.29%
[FANG+ Index] +1.68%
[Semiconductor Index SOX] +1.93%
[Rising Sectors] Real Estate, Healthcare
[Falling Sectors] Consumer Staples, Energy
[Overview]
Market sentiment improved as concerns over the Middle East situation receded and the surge in crude oil prices was contained, leading to a rebound in stock prices driven by tech stocks.
While the February ADP private employment report exceeded expectations, indicating economic resilience, the Beige Book reported weakness in consumer spending.
Policy developments, such as President Trump's support for crypto asset legislation and agreements on data center power cost burdens, strongly boosted gains in individual sectors.
[Commentary]
Overall Market Sentiment
With the White House signaling its stance to curb the surge in crude oil prices, the excessive caution among investors regarding the Middle East conflict has receded. Looking at macroeconomic indicators, the February ADP private employment report showed an increase of 63,000 jobs in the private sector, exceeding market expectations.
On the other hand, the Federal Reserve's Beige Book pointed out that declining consumer purchasing power is weighing on sales, confirming that the U.S. economy has had a turbulent start to 2026. Amidst this mix of conflicting factors, the VIX index plummeted, and the U.S. stock market as a whole shifted into rally mode, with the Nasdaq Composite rising 1.29%, the S&P 500 rising 0.78%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.49%.
Analysis of movements and factors for sectors that rose and fell
Against the backdrop of improved overall market sentiment, results varied by sector. The energy sector, which had been bought up due to geopolitical risks, turned downward as oil prices are expected to stabilize following expectations of White House intervention and a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
The consumer staples sector, which also has defensive characteristics, showed a sluggish performance. On the other hand, the real estate and healthcare sectors were among the top gainers. Looking at the movements of individual stocks within the healthcare sector, UnitedHealth Group [UNH] rose 0.95%, Thermo Fisher Scientific [TMO] rose 0.90%, and Intuitive Surgical [ISRG] rose 0.76%, while Johnson & Johnson [JNJ] fell 0.59% and Abbott Laboratories [ABT] fell 0.45%, showing mixed movements even within the same sector.
In the energy sector, Chevron [CVX] fell 1.45% and ExxonMobil [XOM] fell 1.32%.
Movements of large-cap tech and individual large-cap tech stocks
Large-cap technology stocks generally showed solid performance, with the FANG+ index recording a 1.68% gain. Reports that President Trump secured commitments from major tech companies regarding the burden of data center electricity costs were welcomed as evidence of continued investment in AI infrastructure.
Among individual stocks, Amazon.com [AMZN] saw a significant gain of 3.88%. The company's move to launch free 15-minute grocery delivery services for Prime members in São Paulo, Brazil, using logistics partners, was viewed as a positive catalyst.
Additionally, Tesla [TSLA] rose 3.44%, Meta Platforms [META] rose 1.93%, Alphabet [GOOGL] fell 0.15%, and Microsoft [MSFT] rose 0.31%.
Meanwhile, Apple [AAPL] fell 0.47%. Although the company announced a low-priced 13-inch MacBook Neo starting at $599, it was not enough to boost the stock price.
Overall movements of the semiconductor sector and individual stocks
The semiconductor sector showed a very strong rebound, with the SOX semiconductor index recording a significant gain of 1.93%.
Particularly notable was the surge in traditional semiconductor manufacturers and related companies. Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] rose 5.82%, Intel [INTC] rose 5.75%, and Micron Technology [MU] rose 5.55%, all seeing sharp gains exceeding 5%.
Also, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials [AMAT] rose 1.83%, KLA Corporation [KLAC] rose 2.40%, Lam Research [LRCX] rose 2.76%, and ASML Holding [ASML] rose 2.82%, showing steady performance.
Nvidia [NVDA], which leads the AI semiconductor market, ended the trading day up 1.66%, despite reports suggesting that CEO Jensen Huang might end investments in companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Brief explanation of earnings and news for individual stocks with significant fluctuations
Significant price movements were observed in cryptocurrency-related stocks and companies that announced earnings. In addition to President Trump expressing support for the crypto market structure bill, Bitcoin rebounded due to the easing of excessive concerns over the Middle East situation, leading to a rush of capital into related stocks.
Coinbase Global [COIN] surged 14.57%, Iris Energy [IREN] rose 12.84%, MicroStrategy [MSTR] climbed 10.37%, and Robinhood Markets [HOOD] saw a sharp gain of 8.07%.
On the other hand, SES AI [SES], which develops battery technology, experienced a mixed outcome. Although it closed up 10.32% in regular trading, it faced a 13.45% plunge in after-hours trading after its Q4 earnings report revealed revenue missed market expectations and its 2026 revenue guidance was revised downward.
Overall Summary
The stock market, having digested the geopolitical risks in the Middle East, is seeing a rapid improvement in investor sentiment. Driven by a solid labor market as indicated by the ADP private employment report and policy support from President Trump regarding data centers and crypto assets, capital returned to growth sectors such as AI infrastructure, large-cap tech, and crypto-related assets today.
As shown by the performance of each index, the Dow rose 0.49%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.29%, the FANG+ index rose 1.68%, and the SOX index climbed 1.93%, clearly demonstrating a risk-on stance.
Looking ahead, while we will keep a close eye on how the consumer weakness noted in the Beige Book impacts the real economy, we expect the market to remain highly sensitive to policy developments and news regarding the situation in the Middle East.
Phew... Good day, everyone. As if yesterday's stormy waves were just a lie, today brought a calm and powerful reversal.
The dark clouds that covered the distant skies of the Middle East have cleared little by little, and the 'heavy weight' of crude oil has also regained its composure. Carried by the steady tide of employment (ADP report) and the fresh wind of digital assets, the high-tech fleet has proudly hoisted its sails and begun to move forward once again.
In the midst of such frenzy, there is a woman who is quietly and more rigorously than anyone else designing the future. Today's featured stock is Ms. Appriel (Apple). While she took on the challenge of announcing the new 'MacBook Neo' product today, she experienced a slightly harsh calm of -0.47% due to the market's cold-hearted selection process.
A perfectionist who pursues beauty and functionality in every detail to the extreme. Although she seems cool and does not show her emotions at first glance, she hides a passion deeper than anyone else's inside: 'I want to deliver a magical experience.' 'Eliminate the waste and look only at the essence'... In her intelligent eyes as she says this, even the noise of this chaotic market may be nothing more than data to be organized.
Today's featured stock is Apple [AAPL].
I will provide details in a separate article later.
Overview of the Featured Stock Article
We announced the new 'MacBook Neo' notebook PC, equipped with a 13-inch display and the latest A18 Pro chip, for $599.
Pre-orders start today, and general sales are scheduled for March 11, with expectations for tapping into a new customer base.
Meanwhile, due to security risks associated with attacks on Iran, all five stores in the UAE were temporarily closed, and the resumption of operations has been postponed until March 5.
Today's stock price is down 0.47%, down 4.27% this week, and down 2.77% this month, showing a sluggish trend as geopolitical risks weigh on it despite the positive news of the new product.
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