US stocks rose in early trading Friday, putting the Nasdaq 100 on track to end a five-day losing streak as bond yields stabilize and Bitcoin soars.
The Nasdaq 100 gained 0.3% as of 9:34 a.m., while the S&P 500 rose 0.4%. If the gains hold through the trading day, they would halt a week-long losing streak by tech shares, which have stumbled as long-dated Treasury yields climbed to their highest level since 2007.
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Brent crude edged higher to trade at around $94. Meanwhile, Bitcoin rallied for a fifth straight day, with the currency soaring as much as 9.4% to more than $79,000. Strategy Inc. shares gained 4.2% after the market opened with other cryptocurrency-linked stocks following suit. The US 10-year yield was relatively unchanged at 4.72%.
“The strong trigger in Bitcoin was driven by Treasury’s move to buy back bonds at the longer end of the yield curve,” Bernstein analysts wrote in a note, referring to the Treasury Department’s announcements this week of expanded bond repurchases. “We are not macro experts, but we do know Bitcoin historically has had a positive reaction to liquidity expansion.”
The Treasury’s action, meant to rein in long-term yields, was a catalyst for moves across markets. While stocks and bonds initially got a lift from the Wednesday announcement of expanded buybacks, the gains soon fizzled, with markets ending lower on Thursday even after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he might further expand the efforts.
“The reversal suggests investors remain focused on the fundamentals behind elevated yields rather than the mechanics of Treasury buybacks,” Mark Malek, chief investment officer of Muriel Siebert & Co., wrote in a note. “Inflation uncertainty, large deficits, debt supply, and term premium remain difficult for policymakers to overcome through market operations alone.”
If the department’s plan doesn’t tame yields, that would pressure the dollar and spur short bets against riskier assets in the leadup to the November midterm elections, according to Bank of America Corp. strategist Michael Hartnett. That could mean increased bearish wagers against AI hyperscalers in the coming weeks. Hedge funds have already begun diversifying beyond the volatile artifical intelligence trade, according to Goldman Sachs strategists.
“I think it’s probably backfired, it’s probably pushed him to do more to follow through,” said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer of Plurimi Wealth, on Bloomberg Television, commenting on Bessent’s tactics. “Anytime you try to control 30-year yields, it’s always going to be the market that wins, unless you’re the Fed that has the unlimited balance sheet. You can’t do that as the Treasury secretary.”
Bessent will provide more details on the Treasury Department’s plans during a press conference on Monday, which could give traders clarity on where yields might go. And toward the end of next week, the market could gain even more clues on the direction for rates with Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh set to speak at Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium on Friday.
The AI trade will get a stress test next week with Nvidia Corp. set to report earnings after the market closes on Wednesday. Nvidia is leading an effort by financial firms to raise $500 billion to finance the AI build-out as it hopes to assure its investors that there are plenty of deep-pocketed firms ready to finance its clients, particularly startups such as Anthropic and OpenAI. Traders will watch for insights into demand for Nvidia’s chips and the company’s financing plans.
In single-stock moves, Ross Stores Inc. gained 3.8% at the market open after the discount retailer boosted its earnings forecast for the full year. The company said comparable-store sales growth was supported by “both an increase in new customers and higher engagement from existing customers,” marking a shift from Walmart Inc.’s earnings on Thursday, which saw the lowest comparable sales growth in years.
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