If you blinked on May 14, 2025, you might’ve missed a wild mix of calm headlines, soaring tech stocks, collapsing healthcare giants, and two small-caps that decided to go full rocket ship mode.
Let’s break it all down, because this wasn’t your average market day – it was a cocktail of macro relief, AI-fueled euphoria, and a couple of jaw-dropping stock moves that had Reddit and Stocktwits buzzing.
Relief Rally… With a Twist
The big indexes didn’t move much on paper. The Nasdaq climbed another +0.7% – that’s its sixth day in a row of gains – while the S&P 500 barely nudged +0.1%. Meanwhile, the Dow slipped –0.2%. So far, sounds boring, right?
But under the hood, it was anything but.
Investors were feeling a lot better, thanks to two big stories over the weekend:
- A U.S.–China trade truce finally cooled the years-long tariff war. The U.S. slashed its 145% import duties down to 30%, while China dropped its tariffs from 125% to just 10%. That’s a massive reset.
- Inflation cooled off – April’s CPI clocked in at just 2.3% year-over-year. That’s the lowest in four years. Even better? Core inflation came in soft too.
Together, these gave investors exactly what they wanted: global tensions dialing down, and the Fed maybe backing off. Hopes for a rate cut later this year are now officially back on the table.
Big Tech Goes on a Tear
This wasn’t just a general tech bounce – it was a full-on AI-driven rally.
NVIDIA NVDA+0.86% and Tesla TSLA+1.18% led the charge, both up +4% on the day. Nvidia’s push came after news broke that it would ship 18,000 top-tier AI chips to Saudi Arabia. Huge win. Tesla’s rise was more broad-based – just pure momentum, risk-on buying.
Not to be outdone, Alphabet GOOG+1.03% jumped nearly 4%, while Microsoft MSFT–0.09% and Meta META–0.80% also gained. The only big names sitting out? Apple AAPL+0.66% and Amazon AMZN+1.41% – slightly red, likely some profit-taking after their recent strength.
Over in semiconductors, AMD AMD+0.62% popped +4% after announcing a surprise $6 billion stock buyback. That’s a big flex from management – and investors loved it. Chip stocks broadly rallied on the back of this.
And the biggest gainer in the entire S&P 500? Super Micro Computer SMCI+5.86%, which soared +16%. That’s on top of a monster gain the day before, after inking a $20 billion deal with Saudi data center firm DataVolt. That’s not a typo – $20 billion. For SMCI, that’s a game-changer.
Palantir PLTR+1.22%? Quietly broke another record high. It’s up over 100% since April. AI is hot, and PLTR is riding the wave.
After the bell, Cisco CSCO–1.26% surprised everyone with a strong earnings beat and upgraded forward guidance. The stock jumped +3–4% after hours, thanks to robust AI-related infrastructure demand. Even the “old” tech names are cashing in now.
But Healthcare Got Hammered
While tech was partying, healthcare was bleeding.
UnitedHealth Group UNH+1.28% had its worst week in years. After Tuesday’s shocking move – CEO Andrew Witty resigned and the company pulled its full-year guidance – the stock was still reeling. On May 14, UNH managed a weak +0.5% bounce, but it’s still down nearly 38% for the year.
Investors are worried about rising medical costs and what this means for Medicare plans and health insurance margins. The whole sector took a hit.
Then came another gut punch: President Trump signed a surprise executive order to lower U.S. drug prices. That hit Big Pharma like a freight train.
Merck MRK+2.46% dropped ~4%, and Moderna MRNA–0.24% tanked almost –6%. Ouch. The Healthcare Select Sector ETF (XLV) underperformed hard, as investors rotated out of the space. It was clear: the market was chasing growth, not defense.
Small Caps Go Full Rocket Mode
Two names stole the spotlight, though: KindlyMD KDLY–8.01% and Nuvve NVVE+1.80%.
Let’s start with KDLY. It’s a small healthcare data firm that nobody talked about – until it exploded +600–700% in one day. Why?
It announced a surprise merger with Nakamoto Holdings, backed by crypto investor David Bailey, to become a public Bitcoin treasury. Yep, a healthcare-to-crypto pivot. They’re also raising $710 million to fund it.
Naturally, traders went nuts. KDLY went from a sleepy $3 stock to nearly $31 intraday. It pulled back by the close, but the point was made: nothing moves like a wild headline.
Then there’s NVVE, an electric vehicle charging micro-cap. It jumped over +125% recently, including big moves on May 14. Why? Three reasons:
- Acquisition of Fermata Energy’s V2G assets.
- Announced crypto initiative “Nuvve-DigitalAssets.”
- Brought on James Altucher as a strategic advisor.
That’s a lot of news for a tiny company. Traders saw a growth story – and pounced.
Why It All Matters
So what can we take away from this market cocktail?
- Macro still matters – The trade truce and CPI figures shaped the mood.
- AI is king – From Nvidia to Palantir, money is flowing into anything connected to artificial intelligence.
- Policy risk is real – Healthcare got smacked, fast and hard.
- Earnings drive moves – Cisco, AMD, and others showed how company-level actions still rule the tape.
- Speculation is alive and well – KDLY and NVVE remind us: the market loves a crazy story.
Bottom line? May 14 wasn’t just another Wednesday. It was a real-time case study in how sentiment, policy, tech, and surprise headlines all fight for control over the market’s direction.
And the week’s not over yet.
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