Among companies with a market capitalization of at least $10 billion, the largest gain last week was posted by SanDisk Corporation, a producer of data storage solutions and portable memory devices. The company’s shares rose by 32.82% over the week — to $186.16 per share. Next was Carpenter Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty metals and industrial materials, which gained 31.89% — to $314.21 per share. Completing this top three was Pegasystems Inc., a developer of business process automation software, with a 24.15% rise — to $66.27 per share.

The trio of large-cap companies that saw the biggest losses last week was led by Oklo Inc., a developer of small modular nuclear reactors, whose shares fell by 16.73% in a week — to $136.05 per share. It was followed by Rigetti Computing, Inc., a quantum computing technology developer, with a 16.26% decline — to $38.84 per share. Rounding out this list was STMicroelectronics N.V., a semiconductor and electronic component manufacturer, whose shares dropped 15.01% — to $24.86 per share.

US stock markets ended the week with significant gains: the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow all posted record results amid slower-than-expected inflation growth in September. The S&P 500 finished the week up 0.79%, the Nasdaq 1.15%, and the Dow 1.01%—the strongest weekly performance since August. The companies’ strong quarterly results, particularly a 12% rise in Ford’s stock, also contributed to positive market sentiment.

European stock markets likewise ended the week at record levels, supported by slower-than-expected inflation in the US and optimism over easing US-China trade tensions. On Friday, the STOXX 600 pan-European index rose 0.2%, aided also by growth in energy company shares following new US sanctions on Russian oil firms.

Global equity funds recorded their largest inflow in past three weeks—$11.03 billion—in the week ending October 22, driven also by hopes of reduced US-China trade tensions and strong profitability among major US corporations. Investments in bond funds reached $17.3 billion, marking their 27th consecutive week of growth, while money market funds saw inflows of $13.12 billion. Gold and precious metal funds remained in demand, with inflows of $7.16 billion.

According to Goldman Sachs data, hedge funds’ interest in artificial intelligence (AI)–related technological equipment reached its highest level in October since 2016. The funds’ active buying in the semiconductor and chip sectors indicates that investors expect continued market growth. This focus has reduced investments in the energy sector and among large tech firms.

Intel shares rose 7% amid better-than-expected quarterly earnings, which is due to CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s drastic cost-cutting program. This was the company’s first financial report since securing multi-billion-dollar investments from Nvidia, Japan’s SoftBank, and the US government.

Shares of US companies developing quantum computers surged between 7.8% and 16% on October 23 after The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump’s administration was considering acquiring shares in those companies with public funding. The report stated that talks were underway with IonQ, Rigetti, D-Wave Quantum, and Quantum Computing. Although the US Department of Commerce denied that such negotiations were taking place, the news boosted investor interest in the sector.

Tesla shares fell 4.4% last Thursday after the electric vehicle maker reported a profit decline for the fourth consecutive quarter, even as sales reached record highs. According to analysts, Tesla's decline in profitability is mainly due to high operating costs and rising customs duties.

On October 21, OpenAI unveiled its ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-powered browser. Analysts believe this move could accelerate the mainstream adoption of AI-driven search and intensify competition with Google, which continues to dominate roughly 72% of this market.

On October 20, Apple shares rose 4.2%, reaching a historic high and pushing the company’s market capitalization close to $4 trillion, making it the second most valuable company in the world after Nvidia. The new iPhone 17 sold 14% faster within the first 10 days of its market launch in the US and China compared to the iPhone 16. The company is expected to exceed performance forecasts this quarter.

On Monday, 3 billion drams worth of government bonds were placed in Armenia’s stock market, and they will mature on May 4, 2026. The public auction attracted three participants, whose total bids reaching 4 billion drams. The weighted average price of the allocated government bonds was 96.1050 drams, and the yield stood at 7.7608 percent.

In the US, consumer prices in September rose less than expected. Inflation compared to the previous year was 3.0%, increasing the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut the refinancing interest rate by 0.25 percentage points next week. Meanwhile, due to the US government shutdown, economic data collection has been disrupted, putting the release of the October inflation report in doubt.

By the end of the year, the US Federal Reserve is expected to cut the refinancing interest rate twice. Most economic analysts surveyed by Reuters said that believe the Federal Reserve will make its first 0.25-point cut next week, followed by another of the same amount in December.

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