CNBC Daily Open: U.S. stocks' gains in October owe much to AI

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Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, reacts during the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit successful Gyeongju, South Korea, October 31, 2025.

Kim Soo-hyeon | Reuters

Traders who shorted the S&P 500 — essentially, betting that it would spell down — past period were successful for a rude surprise. The broad-based scale ended the period 2.3% higher, defying "Octoberphobia," a word that arose due to the fact that of the marketplace crashes successful 1929 and 1987 that happened during the month.

The Nasdaq Composite had an adjacent amended period than the S&P 500. The tech-heavy scale climbed 4.7%, giving a hint of what helped ward disconnected the accomplishment of immoderate sick omens: the exertion sector.

On Friday, Amazon shares popped 9.6% connected robust maturation successful its cloud-computing unit and arsenic CEO Andy Jassy pointed to "strong request successful AI and halfway infrastructure." The quality pushed up different artificial intelligence-related stocks specified arsenic Palantir and Oracle too.

AI's ascent successful the marketplace wasn't a one-day event. In October, Nvidia, the poster kid of AI, became the archetypal institution to reach a valuation of $5 trillion, with CEO Jensen Huang describing the exertion arsenic having formed a "virtuous cycle" successful which usage maturation volition pb to an summation successful investment, successful crook improving AI, which volition boost usage, which will… You get the idea.

Indeed, during their net disclosures past week, Big Tech companies announced dizzying increases successful their superior expenditure, astir of which volition apt spell toward AI infrastructure.

All that is to accidental that the enthusiasm implicit AI looks, for now, little similar the contiguous sweetener unreserved of a candy barroom (and the consequent crash), and much similar the sustained vigor boost from a fiber-rich pumpkin.

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China's mill enactment slows down successful October. The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, compiled by S&P Global, came successful astatine 50.6 for the month, dipping from the six-month precocious of 51.2 successful September. Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting a speechmaking of 50.9.

Baidu's play robotaxi rides deed 250,000. That's according to a spokesperson for Apollo Go, Baidu's robotaxi unit, who said the steadfast surpassed that fig arsenic of Oct. 31. It's astir the aforesaid fig of weekly driverless rides arsenic Waymo, according to study successful precocious April.

Berkshire Hathaway operating nett rebounds. Year connected year, that fig surged 34% to $13.485 cardinal successful the 3rd quarter. Warren Buffett's conglomerate present holds $381.6 cardinal successful cash, the highest connected grounds — but it isn't looking astatine banal buybacks yet.

U.S. markets ended Friday higher. On Sunday nighttime stateside, futures tied to large U.S. indexes were little changed. Asia-Pacific markets roseate Monday. Japan's Nikkei 225 and South Korea's Kospi were up much than 2%, arsenic of 2 p.m. Singapore clip (1 a.m. ET).

[PRO] Stocks participate November connected a high. The S&P 500 is opening November much than 16% up for the year. This week, investors should inactive support an oculus retired for a Supreme Court lawsuit connected Trump tariffs and net from firms similar Advanced Micro Devices and Palantir.

And finally...

CHENGDU, CHINA - JANUARY 05: Lee Teuk, Ye Sung, Dong Hae and Kim Ryeo Wook of South Korean lad radical Super Junior be a property league connected January 5, 2020 successful Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images

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