Tech bounce lifts global stocks as dollar gains

12 Nov 2026 05:38AM

NEW YORK: Stock markets rose Wednesday (Nov 11) on renewed optimism over AI following strong results from data centre operator CoreWeave, while the dollar extended a rally on expectations for at least one more Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

Wall Street's main indices enjoyed a buoyant session led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which finished up 1.6 per cent.

"The primary catalyst for the upside action is, ironically, one of the primary catalysts for the downside action that had been seen in the AI trade," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.

"That would be CoreWeave, which posted better-than-feared third-quarter results and issued a reassuring outlook that has quieted some of the debt financing concerns surrounding its AI buildout plans," he added.

CoreWeave said sales would come in at US$13-US$13.3 billion this year, beating estimates and soothing worries about its ability to finance its heavy debt burden, which fuelled a sharp sell-off last month.

Shares in CoreWeave surged nearly 25 per cent.

"This relief trade is carrying across the AI trade complex to include hardware, software, and semiconductor stocks," said O'Hare.

The gains in US equities came despite signalling from US central bankers that the Fed will lift interest rates in December to address persistent inflation. The dollar rose to its highest level since May 2025 after one top Fed official floated the idea of a 0.5 percentage point interest rate increase next month.

After last week's rout fuelled by fears that Democrats would ramp up regulation of AI, tech stocks have bounced this week on bargain-buying and hopes that fears may have been overdone.

"Overall, the market is putting AI doubts to one side and is focusing on revenue potential and mega cap IPO as we move through this week," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.

Semiconductor companies advanced, including scandal-plagued Nvidia, which bounced 3.0 per cent after a two-day rout following the bombshell revelation of an affair between CEO Jensen Huang and a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. The firm is now the subject of an FBI investigation.

London, Paris and Frankfurt stock markets all advanced after a largely positive day in Asia. 

Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei - where most of Asia's leading AI-linked firms are listed - enjoyed big gains, with Shanghai also up.

Hong Kong, however, fell.

Oil prices advanced after sinking Tuesday on hopes for a US-Iran agreement to end their war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.