The recent upswing in global financial markets, fuelled by Nvidia’s remarkable quarterly earnings, underscored the significant impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the financial landscape.

With US markets closed for Presidents Day, global financial markets showed mixed results on Monday. European stocks edged higher, building on the positive momentum from last week, despite the lack of US trading activity.

As the global economic landscape contends with rising uncertainties, recent economic downturns in the UK and Japan raise fears of recession, shaking the stability of worldwide markets. The UK has entered a technical recession after its economy shrank in the last quarter of 2023, showing how fragile its recovery is. Japan also fell into a recession and was surpassed by Germany as the world’s third-largest economy, marking a difficult start to the year and revealing weaknesses in its economy.

In a healthy rebound from the previous day’s losses, Wall Street saw a notable recovery on Wednesday, driven by a mix of better-than-expected earnings reports and a steadying of economic indicators. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed by 151.52 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced by 0.96% and 1.3% respectively.

On Tuesday, markets were hit by worry and uncertainty as inflation for January went higher than what experts had predicted. This surprise increase in the consumer price index caused a big drop on Wall Street, leading to the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s biggest fall since March 2023.

In a day marked by fluctuating fortunes, the stock market narrative took a divergent turn as corporate earnings cast a long shadow over the Dow Jones Industrial Average, leading to a notable retraction from its recent historic surge. Contrasting this pullback, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite continued their ascent.

Monday’s trading session unfolded with a notable climb in global markets, marking a continuation of the bullish trend that began in late 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, in a remarkable show of strength, soared beyond the 38,000 threshold for the first time, underscoring investor optimism and a resilient economic backdrop.

The stock market displayed a remarkable narrative of resurgence and investor confidence, evidenced by the dynamic performance of major indices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded strongly, rising 0.6% and overcoming a three-day slump, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite saw a significant 1.4% increase, driven by a surge in tech stocks like Apple following a favourable upgrade.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 303 points lower, reflecting a broader sentiment of caution among investors. This outlook was prompted by a notable rise in the 10-year Treasury yield, which topped 4%, signalling a potential slowdown in the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy easing.