Nvidia Beats to $96B as Shares Slip After Hours

As flagged in this morning's analysis, Wednesday was PCE at 12:30 UTC, then Nvidia after the close. Headline PCE held at 3.7 percent, a tenth above the 3.6 percent cluster. Core matched 3.3 percent. Cash sat still. The S&P 500 closed at 7,675.70, down 0.02 percent, a whisker below Tuesday's 7,677.28 and short of last Wednesday's 7,707.98. After the bell, Nvidia posted 96.2 billion dollars of revenue and guided to 108 billion. Shares still slipped. This is the evening scorecard of what played out, not an instruction.

The Close: A Flat Tape Into the Nvidia Print

The S&P 500 slipped 1.58 points, or 0.02 percent, to 7,675.70 (Yahoo 4:39 p.m. Eastern; MarketWatch the same print), open 7,666.88, range 7,657.41-7,690.73. The Nasdaq Composite eased 0.08 percent to 26,130.20. The Dow dropped 0.21 percent, or 113.52 points, to 53,463.88, snapping a three-day climb. The Russell 2000 fell 0.14 percent to 3,005.90. The VIX finished at 15.21. Nvidia closed cash at 209.66 dollars, down 1.59 percent from Tuesday's 213.05. Last Wednesday's 7,707.98 was not tested. Today's 7,657.41 low held above Tuesday's 7,650.92.

Story of the Day: Sticky PCE, Then Abercrombie's 36% Surge

The Fed's preferred gauge stayed firm. Headline PCE rose 0.2 percent on the month versus 0.1 percent expected and held at 3.7 percent year over year. Core PCE rose 0.2 percent and 3.3 percent annually, in line. Second-quarter GDP was left at 1.5 percent. Durable goods jumped 1.1 percent. The single-stock tape stole the session. Abercrombie & Fitch closed at 147.75 dollars, up 35.67 percent, after 4.17 dollars of EPS versus about 1.99 and sales of 1.27 billion. About 100 million dollars of tariff refunds fattened the beat. Full-year EPS was lifted to 13.10 to 13.60 dollars from 10.20 to 11.00. Meta rose 1.07 percent to 576.14 dollars after an 18 billion dollar child-safety settlement with 48 states. Intuit, which slid after hours Tuesday on a lighter fiscal 2027 guide, closed down about 3.3 percent.

Oil Recovers From $80; Gold Gives Back the High

The Hormuz path this morning mapped did print, then reversed. West Texas Intermediate tagged 79.62 dollars and spent the US session climbing back. Yahoo showed 81.78 dollars at 4:34 p.m. Eastern, down 0.70 percent from Tuesday's 82.36 settlement, range 79.62-83.31. The EIA said commercial crude rose only 95,000 barrels to 428.9 million, versus API's 4.2 million barrel build and about 500,000 expected. Gasoline stocks fell 2.5 million barrels. Distillates fell 2.2 million. Iran and Oman are still mapping a temporary corridor, not a full reopen. Spot gold is near 4,595 dollars (TradingView 4,595.325), off this morning's 4,630 and Tuesday's three-month high near 4,665. Traders watching 4,602 as the first support shelf; a break of 4,513 would weaken the 200-day reclaim.

Crypto Check: Bitcoin Fades From This Morning's $78,950

Digital assets did not use the oil bounce. Bitcoin is near 78,350 dollars (TradingView 78,297, Yahoo 78,381), softer than this morning's 78,950 and Tuesday's 81,235 high. Ether is near 2,470 dollars (TradingView 2,469.8), a modest lift from this morning's 2,460. Bullish trigger for Bitcoin remains a hold above 80,000 dollars, then a reclaim of Tuesday's 81,200 area. Bearish trigger: a slip through 75,000.

After-Hours and Overnight Watch

Nvidia did the numbers and still sold off. Fiscal Q2 revenue was 96.2 billion dollars versus about 92.3 billion expected. Adjusted EPS was 2.22 dollars versus about 2.09. Data-center revenue was 89 billion versus about 85.4 billion. The company guided fiscal Q3 to 108 billion dollars, plus or minus 2 percent, against a Street cluster near 104 billion. Gross margin is seen at 74 percent next quarter, a tick down from 75 percent in Q2. WSJ had shares about 1.3 percent lower after hours. The morning's disappointment path was a guide that merely matched the 91 billion dollar run-rate. Guidance cleared that bar. The stock still faded, as it has after four of the last five beats. Three things frame Thursday into Friday: digestion of that guide, follow-through in Abercrombie and Meta, and Warsh at Jackson Hole on Friday at 14:00 UTC. Docket: week-ahead note. Bullish trigger for the S&P remains a cash-close reclaim of 7,707.98. Bearish trigger: a slide through today's 7,657.41 low, then 7,650.92. Invalidation of the Friday-repair tone remains a break of 7,600.

For live prices, see the ThriveInMarkets homepage. None of the above is a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. The S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow figures are Wednesday, August 26, 2026 cash closes; gold, oil, Bitcoin and Ether are live as of 20:45 UTC.