US stocks end higher as tech stocks lift S&P 500; Dow Jones closes at fresh record

US stocks ended on a firm note on Monday, February 9, with technology shares lifting the benchmarks and the Dow Jones Industrial Average extending record territory ahead of key economic data and a fresh round of earnings.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.47% for a second straight session, closing at 6,964.82, while the Dow added 20.20 points, or 0.04%, to finish at 50,135.87, marking both a highest-ever intraday and closing record. The Nasdaq Composite outperformed, rising 0.9% to 23,238.67.

Chipmakers led gains, with Nvidia climbing 2.5% and Broadcom up 3.3%. Oracle jumped 9.6% after D.A. Davidson upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, citing optimism around OpenAI-linked demand.

The move higher builds on Friday’s sharp rebound, when the Dow crossed 50,000 for the first time, recovering from earlier-week's losses driven by a tech-led sell-off. Risk assets had come under pressure during the rout, with Bitcoin sliding before staging a partial recovery.

While this is welcome news, experts noted that technology valuations have eased meaningfully, potentially tempering calls to exit the sector entirely.

Attention now shifts to earnings and macro data. Coca-Cola and Ford Motor are among the companies reporting results on Tuesday. Investors are also awaiting the delayed January US jobs report, due Wednesday, after last week’s ADP data showed private payrolls rising just 22,000. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect 55,000 jobs to have been added in January.

Later in the week, markets will track the delayed January CPI report, scheduled for Friday, with consensus pointing to an annual inflation rate of 2.5%.