Nvidia CEO Exit Shakes Chip Stocks, But Wall Street Indexes Turn Green

TLDR

• Nvidia fell as much as 14% on news that CEO Jensen Huang resigned, then cut its loss to about 4.5% to 5.7%.
• The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq moved from early losses to small gains by late morning.
• Traders shifted money from Nvidia into other AI plays, and AMD rose while Intel and Micron fell.
• Anthropic plans to go public next week, and the Nvidia news adds pressure on AI-linked markets.
• Rate hike bets grew after hot inflation data, and MSCI is removing Strategy from its US indices.

Stocks opened lower on Thursday after news that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned. By late morning, the major US indexes had turned higher. The move showed how fast traders can shift their money around.

Nvidia fell as much as 14% early in the session. It later cut that loss to about 4.5%, and some reports showed it down closer to 5.7%. The chipmaker sits at the center of the AI investment boom that has powered this year’s market.

How the Indexes Recovered

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up about 250 points, or 0.5%, at one point. The S&P 500 rose as much as 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite also gained as much as 0.5%.

E-Mini S&P 500 Dec 26 (ES=F)

Gains were smaller by midday. The Dow was up about 0.4%, and the S&P 500 was up about 0.1%. The Nasdaq was close to flat.

Reports say traders first moved cash out of Nvidia and into other AI stocks. That buying then spread to the wider market. A majority of S&P 500 stocks were trading higher.

The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF went back to breakeven and kept gaining. The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF is 11.3% Nvidia. It was up 0.4% at one point.

Other chip stocks did not move together. Intel and Micron fell, while Nvidia rival AMD rose. Intel was down about 1.7%.

Reports said Huang faced questions about his personal affairs and a possible dismissal. Nvidia has many business ties with other AI companies. That makes it hard to know how far the fallout could reach.

The news adds to recent doubts about the AI trade. It also arrives days before Anthropic’s planned public debut next week.

Rates, Oil and Crypto

Other news also weighed on markets this week. Tuesday’s inflation report came in hotter than expected. Wall Street analysts then raised their forecasts for more and bigger interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.

A tougher central bank is seen as a negative for US borrowers and for riskier assets. That includes cryptocurrencies. Most digital assets were lower early Wednesday, and bitcoin fell overnight.

Index provider MSCI is also removing Strategy from its US indices. Strategy is known as the largest corporate bitcoin holder.

Oil prices reversed course on Wednesday. Brent crude futures rose to $93 per barrel after a week of declines. The jump followed comments from President Trump that raised worries the US-Iran conflict will continue.

The bond market was closed on Wednesday. Yahoo Finance is also hosting its annual Invest event, with talks planned with AMD CEO Lisa Su and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.

As of 12:26 PM EST Thursday, the Dow stood near 52,693, up 206 points, or 0.39%. The S&P 500 was near 7,628, and the Nasdaq was near 25,456.

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