Economic Indicators - U.S. February Empire State manufacturing index fell to 7.1, a smaller decline than expectations of 6.4 [3] - Economists expect December Durable Goods Orders to drop -1.8% month-over-month, while Core Durable Goods Orders are expected to rise +0.3% month-over-month [8] - U.S. Building Permits for December are expected to be 1.400 million and Housing Starts to be 1.310 million [9] - Industrial Production and Manufacturing Production are expected to rise +0.4% month-over-month in January [10] Federal Reserve Insights - U.S. rate futures indicate a 92.1% probability of no rate change and a 7.9% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut at the next FOMC meeting in March [1] - Fed Governor Michael Barr stated that interest rates should remain unchanged until clearer evidence of inflation moving toward the 2% target is seen [2] - The minutes from the Fed's January meeting will be closely scrutinized to assess the debate on rate cuts versus keeping rates steady [7] Stock Market Movements - Wall Street's main stock indexes ended positively, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings surging over +12% after Elliott Investment Management acquired a more than 10% stake [4] - Southwest Airlines climbed more than +6% after UBS upgraded the stock to Buy with a price target of $73 [4] - ZIM Integrated Shipping Services jumped over +25% following an acquisition agreement with Hapag-Lloyd for $4.2 billion [4] - Genuine Parts tumbled more than -14% after posting downbeat Q4 results and announcing plans to split its auto and industrial parts units [4] Corporate Earnings - Prominent companies such as Analog Devices, Booking Holdings, Carvana, DoorDash, and Occidental Petroleum are set to release quarterly results [11] - Cadence Design Systems climbed more than +7% in pre-market trading after posting upbeat Q4 results and issuing solid FY26 guidance [18] - Palo Alto Networks slumped more than -6% in pre-market trading after cutting its full-year adjusted EPS guidance [18] International Market Developments - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is up +0.97%, supported by strong gains in defense and bank stocks [13] - U.K. January CPI fell -0.5% month-over-month and rose +3.0% year-over-year, while January Core CPI fell -0.6% month-over-month and rose +3.1% year-over-year [14] - Japan's January Trade Balance stood at -1,152.7 billion yen, with exports rising +16.8% year-over-year [16]

Core Insights - Nvidia's stock surged nearly 4% to $208.82, reaching an all-time high of $212.19 following a significant presentation by CEO Jensen Huang in Washington, D.C. [1] - The company has achieved a market capitalization of $5.1 trillion, becoming the first to reach this milestone [2]. Group 1: Market Reactions - At least six Wall Street firms raised their price targets for Nvidia stock after the GTC conference, where the company announced numerous deals and projects in AI data centers, quantum computing, wireless infrastructure, and robotaxis [2]. - Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes increased his price target for Nvidia from $275 to $300, praising Huang's presentation as a "home run" and noting stronger-than-expected orders for Blackwell and Rubin graphics processing units [3]. - Evercore ISI analyst Mark Lipacis maintained an outperform rating and raised the price target from $225 to $261, emphasizing Nvidia's competitive edge in the AI computing ecosystem [4]. Group 2: Industry Position - Nvidia is viewed as the "gold standard" in the AI sector, leading the industry with its comprehensive chip, hardware, software, and networking solutions [4]. - The company's stock is featured on five IBD lists, including IBD 50 and Tech Leaders, indicating strong market interest and performance [5].