Stock indices closed notably higher yesterday. The S&P 500 rose by 0.81%, the Nasdaq 100 added 1.26%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.63%.

Asian indices also advanced for a fourth consecutive day as AI-related concerns eased. Still, the muted reaction to Nvidia's upbeat sales guidance raised questions. The MSCI Asia Pacific index climbed by about 0.8% to a fresh record high. South Korea's Kospi, a bellwether for AI investment, jumped by oughly 2%, widening its lead over other regional indices.

Nvidia stock gave back most of its earlier gains after the results and was up only about 0.2%. Although the chipmaker beat revenue expectations for Q1, it warned about a potential overheating in the AI economy, which weighed on some Asian chip suppliers.

"Traders' expectations for Nvidia were already highly priced in, leaving little room for further upside," said analysts at Pepperstone Group. While Nvidia emphasized robust growth in AI computing demand and temporarily resilient margins, "the potential threat to market share from proprietary chips" was not fully addressed, they said. Nvidia's failure to wow investors will be a real test for traders.

Elsewhere, the dollar eased for a second day. Gold gained as traders priced in Middle East geopolitical risk and the potential trade impact of US tariffs. Treasuries rallied, with the 10-year yield down one basis point to 4.04%.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said yesterday that President Donald Trump will sign a directive in coming days to raise global tariffs to 15% where appropriate, and that the administration will seek continuity with countries that have trade deals.

As for the S&P 500 technical analysis, buyers' near-term task is to overcome the resistance level of $6,946. This would allow the index to show fresh upside and open the way to $6,961. Gaining control of $6,975 would further strengthen the bullish case. On the downside, buyers should defend around $6,930. A break below that level would likely bring the trading instrument back down to $6,914, which could open the path to $6,896.