S&P 500 rises to kick off 2026 as tech shares pick up where they left off in 2025: Live updates |…

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S&P 500 rises to kick off 2026 as tech shares pick up where they left off in 2025: Live updates

The S&P 500 rose Friday, the first trading day of 2026, as tech looked to build on its momentum from last year.

The broad market index gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 50 points higher, or 0.1%.

Friday's gain marks a reversal from the first-day trading trend of the last few years. The S&P 500 finished lower on the first day of trading for each of the last three years. Going back to the 1950s, there is no discernible trend, with the first day finishing positive about 48% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group.

Nvidia shares rose more than 3%. The artificial intelligence-related name was a big winner in 2025, rising about 39%. Fellow tech stocks Apple and Alphabet climbed 2% each.

Stock Index Futures Climb in Strong Start to 2026

March S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESH26) are up +0.63%, and March Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQH26) are up +1.08% this morning, pointing to a strong start on Wall Street in the first trading session of 2026.

Futures on the Nasdaq 100 outperformed amid renewed optimism around AI following a wave of AI-related news from Asia. Chip designer Shanghai Biren Technology Co. jumped in its Hong Kong trading debut. Also, Baidu climbed in Hong Kong after its AI chip unit confidentially filed for an IPO. In addition, DeepSeek released a paper outlining a more efficient method for developing AI.

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