Friday, May 22 capped an eighth straight winning week for U.S. stocks — the longest streak since 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.58% to a record close of 50,579.70. The S&P 500 added 0.37% to 7,473.47, and the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.19% to 26,343.97. Weekly performance: Dow +2.1%, S&P 500 +0.9%, Nasdaq +0.5%.
But beneath those calm index numbers, Friday's session was anything but quiet.
Dell steals the show
Dell Technologies was the standout, surging 16.77% to close at a 52-week high of $295.19. The catalyst was a wave of analyst price-target upgrades centered on Dell's massive AI server backlog — $43 billion, with guidance toward roughly $50 billion in AI revenue for FY2027 (roughly 100% year-over-year growth). Dell reports fiscal Q1 results on May 28.
HP Inc. rode the same wave, climbing 14-15% to $25.24 as investors price in AI-enabled PC momentum. HP's report is due May 27.
Qualcomm's automotive bet pays off
Qualcomm jumped 11.6% to $238 after expanding its multi-year partnership with Stellantis. The automaker will integrate Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis — covering ADAS, Level 2+ autonomous driving, cockpit functions, and connectivity — across millions of future vehicles. The move underscores Qualcomm's evolution beyond smartphones into automotive AI.
Texas Instruments: betting on power
TXN rose after Seaport Research Partners upgraded the stock to Buy with a $400 price target, citing surging demand for power-management chips in AI data centers. Higher electrical intensity per rack is driving a re-architecture of in-house power distribution — and TI's analog power expertise positions it well.
Workday delivers
Workday surged ~14% after reporting strong fiscal Q1 2027 results: revenue of $2.542 billion (+13.5%), non-GAAP EPS of $2.66 (beating consensus of $2.51), and raised full-year adjusted operating margin guidance to 30%.
Zoom (+9%) and Ross Stores (+8%, with a 17% comp-sales jump) rounded out the post-earnings winners.
The flip side: Chinese broker crackdown
The biggest loser story: China's Securities Regulatory Commission announced penalties against Futu (FUTU), Tiger Brokers (TIGR), and Longbridge Securities for unlicensed cross-border securities activities. FUTU crashed ~35% from $124 to around $80. TIGR fell ~31% to roughly $3.80. The CSRC plans to confiscate illegal gains, impose heavy fines, and restrict existing accounts to withdrawals-only for two years.
Looking ahead — a busy earnings week
Next week brings Dell (May 28), HP (May 27), Nvidia (expected soon), and more. The S&P 500 enters week nine with positive momentum — but with questions about how long this rally can run without fresh macro catalysts.