AI earnings lift S&P 500

On August 12, 2026, U.S. stock markets closed higher, driven by strong quarterly results from AI infrastructure companies and benign inflation data. CoreWeave surged 19% after raising its annual capital spending forecast and beating second-quarter earnings estimates. Other data center operators also rallied: Iris Energy gained nearly 10%, Applied Digital rose 4.9%, and Nebius Group jumped 34% on better-than-expected results. Supermicro climbed 19% after forecasting fiscal 2027 revenue above expectations. Chipmakers advanced, with Nvidia up 3% and Micron Technology adding 4.9%, lifting the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index about 2.5%. The S&P 500 rose 0.26% to 7,748.50, the Nasdaq gained 0.54% to 26,588.49, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.04%. Mild July CPI data reinforced expectations that the United States — Federal Reserve will hold rates steady in September, with traders pricing a 62% chance of no change. The VIX fell to 14.45, its lowest since January. Separately, U.S.-Iran tensions remained elevated with no progress in talks. Other gainers included Cava Group (+14.2%) and Lumentum (+13.6%).