Wall Street back on its feet after last week’s slump due to US-China tensions; AI stocks among top winners as indexes witness recovery; check top gainers and losers

Wall Street's main indexes ended with a sharp increase on Monday (October 14, 2025). The rise was led by gains in Broadcom and other chipmakers. The Nasdaq notched its biggest one-day gain since May 27, 2025. The rise in indexes was witnessed after President Donald Trump struck a conciliatory tone about renewed U.S.-China trade tensions, easing investor worries.

AI-related tech stocks were the biggest winners in Monday's rebound. Broadcom surged almost 10% after partnering with OpenAI to produce the startup's first in-house artificial intelligence processors. Other AI-related chipmakers also gained, with Nvidia climbing 2.8% and Micron Technology jumping over 6%. The PHLX chip index soared almost 5%.

S&P 500 and Nasdaq gain

The S&P 500 climbed 1.56% to end the session at 6,654.72 points. The Nasdaq gained 2.21% to 22,694.61 points, while he Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.29% to 46,067.58 points. Ten of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes rose, led by information technology, followed by a 2.29% gain in consumer discretionary.

What’s driving market sentiment

The market sentiment was lifted after the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network that the US president was on track to meet his Chinese counterpart in South Korea as the two sides work on de-escalating trade frictions that grew late last week.

Top gainers and losers on NASDAQ

On Monday, October 13, 2025, the Nasdaq witnessed significant movements. Leading the gainers was Electra Battery Materials Corporation (ELBM), soaring by an incredible 325.45%. Close behind were CuriosityStream Inc. (CURIW) with a 303.33% increase and Solidion Technology, Inc. (STI) up by 293.898%. Other notable advancers included Aclarion, Inc. (ACONW) with an 185.08% rise and ESS Tech, Inc. (GWH) which gained 118.149%.

On the losing side, Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc. (TVRD) plummeted by 83.918%, marking the biggest decline. The Oncology Institute, Inc. (TOIIW) fell by 50.90%, while Defiance Daily Target 2x Short RGTI ETF (RGTZ) dropped 50%. Enlightify Inc. (ENFY) and Allurion Technologies, Inc. (ALUR) also faced sharp declines of 49.35% and 48.75% respectively.

Check closing prices of top gainers

Electra Battery Materials Corporation (ELBM) on Monday closed at $7.02 on NASDAQ with an increase of +5.37. Second was CuriosityStream Inc. (CURIW) which closed at $0.0121 witnessing an increase of 0.0091. Third on the gainers list was Solidion Technology, Inc. Common Stock (STI) which closed on Monday at $21.625 with an increase of 16.135. It was followed by Aclarion, Inc. Warrant (ACONW) and ESS Tech, Inc. Common Stock (GWH) with closing price of $0.1031 and $9.05 respectively.

US-China tensions and the market crash

Last week on Friday, October 10, 2025, Wall Street tumbled with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting their steepest weekly declines in months. The latest rupture followed China's announcement on Thursday (October 9, 2025) that it would dramatically expand its rare earths export controls.

In retaliation, Trump on Friday said he would apply an additional 100% tariff on imports from China and impose export controls on all critical U.S.-made software from November 1. However, over the weekend, Trump said "it will all be fine" and that the U.S. did not want to "hurt" China. China on Sunday blamed the U.S. for the escalation but did not roll out further countermeasures.