Nvidia Jumps 9% as Nasdaq Rallies 1.6% After Guide

As flagged in this morning's analysis, Thursday was digestion of Nvidia's 70 percent fiscal 2028 guide. The follow-through path played. The S&P 500 closed at 7,730.99, up 0.7 percent, through last Wednesday's 7,707.98. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.6 percent to 26,541.35. Nvidia finished near 228 dollars, up about 9 percent. The tape was thin: Nvidia's market-cap gain did most of the S&P's work, and equal-weight S&P finished lower. West Texas Intermediate rebounded toward 83.90 dollars as the Hormuz understanding stayed unsettled. Bitcoin topped 80,000 dollars. This is the evening scorecard of what played out, not an instruction.

The Close: A 0.7% S&P Rally on One Sector

The S&P 500 rose 55.29 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,730.99 (Associated Press wrap, 1:24 p.m. Pacific), open about 7,702, range about 7,690-7,741. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 411.16 points, or 1.6 percent, to 26,541.35 (Yahoo close 4:10 p.m. Eastern; open 26,356.98, range 26,273.87-26,553.90). The Dow added 105.56 points, or 0.2 percent, to 53,569.44. The Russell 2000 rose 0.3 percent to 3,014.34. The VIX eased toward 14.5 from Wednesday's 15.21. Breadth did not confirm. The Associated Press said Nvidia more than offset drops for the majority of S&P stocks. Barron's had Nvidia adding about 456 billion dollars of market cap versus about 482 billion for the whole S&P; the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF finished down 0.2 percent. Information Technology was the only one of 11 S&P sectors in the green, up about 2.6 to 3 percent. Last Wednesday's 7,707.98 was reclaimed. The August 13 record close of 7,798.99 was not.

Story of the Day: Nvidia Follows Through, Software Catches Fire

The morning's Nvidia-follow-through path was the one that printed. Shares closed about 228 dollars, up 8.7 percent from Wednesday's 209.66 cash close, after the 108 billion dollar third-quarter guide and the first-time 70 percent fiscal 2028 growth outlook. Investing.com had 227.98 at the cash close; after hours they slipped to 226.88, down 0.48 percent. Software did more than tag along. Salesforce closed at 252.05 dollars, up 22.58 percent, after 5.90 dollars of adjusted EPS versus about 3.27 and a 2.6 billion dollar mark-to-market gain on Anthropic. CrowdStrike jumped about 20 percent to near 226 dollars after record 333 million dollars of net new ARR, up 51 percent. Okta soared about 27 percent. Palo Alto Networks gained about 12 percent. ServiceNow about 9 percent. Before the open, Best Buy beat with 1.47 dollars of adjusted EPS and raised the year, then fell about 4.5 percent. Dollar General rose after lifting its sales forecast. Dollar Tree beat and still fell about 4 percent on a light third-quarter profit view.

Crypto Check: Bitcoin Tops $80,000

Bitcoin finally tagged the 80,000 handle the morning had mapped as the first bullish trigger. Bitcoin is near 80,050 dollars (TradingView 80,054, Twelve Data 79,997 at 20:17 UTC), up about 1.2 percent on the day versus this morning's 78,800 and Wednesday evening's 78,350. Investopedia noted Bitcoin topped 80,000 for the second time this week. Ether is near 2,497 dollars (TradingView 2,497.1, CoinMarketCap about 2,499), little changed from this morning's 2,490. Bullish trigger for Bitcoin is now a hold above 80,000 dollars, then a reclaim of Tuesday's 81,200 area. Bearish trigger remains a slip through 75,000. These are technical reference points, not instructions.

After-Hours and Overnight Watch

The fade-the-guide path did not print. The Hormuz-deal path for oil did not either. West Texas Intermediate is near 83.90 dollars (Investing.com 83.92 close, up 2.06 percent; MarketWatch 83.93 at 2:13 p.m. Eastern), up from this morning's 81.50 and Wednesday's 82.23 settlement, range about 80.65-84.27, as the Iran-Oman understanding stayed short of a reopen. Spot gold is near 4,605 dollars (TradingView 4,604.845), unchanged from this morning. Initial jobless claims fell 4,000 to 203,000 versus 208,000 expected. Jackson Hole is open. Chair Kevin Warsh's first keynote is Friday at 14:00 UTC. Nvidia after hours was a modest fade, not a reversal. Three things frame the overnight: whether the thin S&P close holds into Friday, whether oil keeps the bounce if Hormuz talks stall, and Warsh. Traders watching 7,730.99 as the new cash reference. Bullish trigger: a push toward the 7,798.99 record. Bearish trigger: a slide back through 7,707.98, then Wednesday's 7,657.41 low. Docket: week-ahead note. Calendar: calendar.

For live prices across crypto, equities, gold and oil, 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 Thursday, August 27, 2026 cash closes; gold, oil, Bitcoin and Ether are live as of 20:45 UTC.