So, what was moving the market last week? If you guessed anything related to artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, or the massive power needed to run it all, you'd be right on the money. A sharp rally swept through several large-cap names, and the winners' list reads like a playbook for the current moment in tech and energy.
Let's break down who popped and why.
Leading the charge was Nebius Group (NBIS), which rocketed up 29.59%. The catalyst? A headline-grabbing partnership with the king of AI chips, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA). Nebius is deploying a hyperscale cloud for AI, and NVIDIA is backing the play with a cool $2 billion investment. When the 800-pound gorilla of GPUs puts down that kind of cash, the market tends to notice.
Not far behind was Sandisk Corporation (SNDK), which jumped 27.60% for the week.
On the electric vehicle front, NIO Inc. (NIO) charged ahead with a 21.12% gain. The Chinese EV maker released its latest quarterly results, and the reception was positive enough for HSBC to upgrade the stock from Hold to Buy, boosting its price target from $4.80 to $6.80.
Another mover was Nextpower Inc. (NXT), soaring 19.19% after GLJ Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating.
Fellow Chinese EV maker XPeng Inc. (XPEV) also had a good week, up 6.68%. The company rolled out its second-generation Vision-Language-Action system, and its joint venture with Volkswagen began production of a new electric SUV for the Chinese market, drawing plenty of investor attention.
Back in the AI hardware world, memory chip giant Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) climbed 16.99%. The company announced a collaboration with semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials, Inc (AMAT) to develop next-generation DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, and NAND solutions. The goal? To make AI systems more energy-efficient. In an era where data centers are gulping power, efficiency isn't just nice to have—it's a competitive necessity.
Speaking of data center demands, Ciena Corporation (CIEN) gained 13.34% after announcing new innovations aimed at meeting the surging bandwidth needs driven by AI. Analyst Sean O'Loughlin at TD Cowen liked what he saw, initiating coverage with a Buy rating and a price target of $425.
Then there's the power problem. AI data centers need a lot of it, and they need it reliably. Bloom Energy Corporation (BE), up 14.83%, is benefiting as these facilities look for ways to bypass delays on the traditional utility grid. The company's solid oxide fuel cells offer a potential solution for 24/7 electricity.
IREN Limited (IREN) also jumped 14.74% for the week.
Rounding out the list was Circle Internet Group, Inc. (CRCL), which soared 9.9%. Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev maintained a Neutral rating on the stock but raised his price target from $100 to $120.
The story last week wasn't about random, isolated gains. It was a concentrated move into stocks positioned at the intersection of three massive trends: the AI build-out, the transition to electric vehicles, and the critical infrastructure needed to power the new digital economy. If your portfolio was leaning into those themes, you probably had a pretty good week.
