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How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 2/25/2026

U.S. stocks rose and erased their losses for the week so far, as Nvidia and other technology companies led the way.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Wednesday for a second straight gain following Monday’s swoon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%.

Nvidia was one of the strongest forces lifting the market ahead of its highly anticipated profit report, which is scheduled to come shortly after trading’s end for the day.

Expectations are very high for the chip company benefiting from the AI boom. Stock indexes rose in Europe and Asia, while Treasury yields held steady.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 56.06 points, or 0.8%, to 6,946.13

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 307.65 points, or 0.6%, to 49,482.15.

The Nasdaq composite rose 288.40 points, or 1.3%, to 23,152.08.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 11.00 points, or 0.4%, to 2,663.33.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 36.62 points, or 0.5%.

The Dow is down 143.82 points, or 0.3%.

The Nasdaq is up 266.01 points, or 1.2%.

The Russell 2000 is down 0.45 points, less than 0.1%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 100.63 points, or 1.5%.

The Dow is up 1,418.86 points, or 3%.

The Nasdaq is down 89.91 points, or 0.4%.

The Russell 2000 is up 181.42 points, or 7.3%.

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PARIS (AP) — They lurk in the oceans, a last resort to pulverize attackers with nuclear fire should France’s commander in chief ever make that terrible call. French President Emmanuel Macron, the person with the power to unleash France’s nuclear arsenal, will on Monday update French thinking on the potential use of warheads carried on submarines and planes, if it ever came to that. This in the context of concerns in Europe that Russian war-making could spread beyond Ukraine, and uncertainty about U.S. President Donald Trump ’s steadfastness as an ally. For decades, Europe has lived under a protective umbrella of U.S. nuclear weapons, stationed on the continent since the mid-1950s to deter the former Soviet Union and now Russia. Lately, however, some European politicians and defense analysts are questioning whether Washington can still be relied upon to use such force if needed. As the only nuclear-armed member of the 27-nation European Union, the questions are particularly pertinent for France.
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