After last week's brutal selloff had software investors questioning everything, Monday brought some much-needed relief. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) jumped more than 3% in its second consecutive day of gains, marking its strongest daily performance since late April 2025. Apparently, dip-buyers decided this was their moment.

The Nasdaq 100 climbed 1%, outperforming the broader market as tech stocks led the charge. The S&P 500 added 0.7%, while small caps advanced 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, always the tortoise in these races, sat nearly flat around 50,100, hovering just below record highs like someone afraid to peek over the edge.

Individual software names put on quite the show. AppLovin Corp. (APP) surged more than 14% after suffering through four consecutive weekly declines. That's the kind of bounce that makes you wonder if you should have bought the dip or if this is just a brief respite before more pain.

Oracle Corp. (ORCL) delivered an even more impressive performance, soaring 11% in its best session since September. Meanwhile, Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) rose 7%, building on Friday's 4.5% rebound. When the comeback kids start coming back, they apparently don't do it halfway.

But here's where things get interesting. Commodities decided to join the party too. Oil prices jumped more than 2% to $64.6 a barrel, while gold snapped back sharply with a 2.5% rally to $5,090 an ounce. These moves suggest investors were feeling frisky about risk assets again, at least for one day.

The real star of the commodity show, though, was silver. The precious metal soared over 6% to $82 an ounce after plunging to as low as $64 last Friday. For context, that Friday low was nearly 50% below silver's late-January record high of $121. Talk about volatility. With the metal now up over 17% in just two sessions, it's eyeing its strongest two-day rally since 2009. That's the kind of whipsaw action that either makes fortunes or destroys them, depending on which side of the trade you're on.

Not everything joined the celebration, though. Crypto markets lagged the broader rebound, signaling that risk appetite remains fragile in that corner of the investment world. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped 0.4% to around $70,000, while Ethereum (ETH) was flat near $2,085. When traditional markets rally and crypto sits it out, it tells you something about where investor confidence really stands.

How the Major Indices and ETFs Performed

By 12:30 p.m. ET, the Nasdaq 100 stood at 25,342.31, up 1.1%. The Russell 2000 climbed 0.9% to 2,695.22, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.7% to 6,980.29. The Dow Jones, true to form, was essentially unchanged at 50,096.85.

Looking at the major ETFs, the story was similar. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF advanced 0.65% to $639.39, while the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF flattened at $500.92. The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series jumped 0.95% to $615.42, and the iShares Russell 2000 ETF climbed 0.83% to $267.22.

Among sector funds, technology clearly led the way. The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund outperformed with a 1.8% rise, while the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund lagged, down 1.1%. That's the classic risk-on rotation: out of the boring defensive stuff, into the exciting growth names.

Russell 1000's Biggest Winners

The top gainers in the Russell 1000 painted a picture of specific names catching fire. AppLovin Corporation (APP) led the pack with a 14.61% surge. Bullish came in second with a 12.62% gain, followed by Nexstar Media Group at 11.66%. Oracle Corporation (ORCL) rounded out the top performers with an 11.58% jump.

Russell 1000's Biggest Losers

On the flip side, not everyone had a good Monday. Kyndryl Holdings got absolutely crushed, plunging 54.35% in the kind of move that makes you check if there's been a bankruptcy filing or catastrophic earnings miss. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF) dropped 17.94%, while Waters Corporation fell 10.27%. e.l.f. Beauty declined 8.60%, and DXC Technology Company lost 8.22%.

So what does all this mean? Monday's session showed a market trying to find its footing after recent turbulence. Software stocks got a reprieve, commodities staged a dramatic comeback (especially silver), and traditional equity indices moved higher. But with crypto sitting out the rally, it's clear that investor confidence hasn't fully returned across all risk assets. The question now is whether this bounce has legs or if it's just another head-fake in what's been a choppy stretch for markets.