Market Monitor April 16 ( Netflix, Palantir UP, Nvidia, Applied Digital DOWN)

Calm Trading on Wall Street as Netflix Shines, Nvidia Stumbles in after-hours trading

U.S. markets had a quiet session on Tuesday, taking a breather after last week’s volatility. The Dow Jones slipped 0.4%, the S&P 500 edged down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq closed flat, as investors remained cautious ahead of new developments in the U.S.-China trade conflict. President Trump stated, “China must make a deal with us, not the other way around.”

Amid the calm, Netflix (NFLX | +4.8%) stood out with a 5% jump after The Wall Street Journal reported the company aims to double its market cap to $1 trillion within five years. The plan includes boosting revenue through account sharing crackdowns, price hikes, and increased advertising income.

With a solid subscription model and a 10% year-to-date gain, analysts view Netflix as a defensive play in uncertain markets.

Another standout was Palantir (PLTR | +6.2%), rising 6.2% to $98.40 after securing a NATO contract for its AI-powered Maven defense system. Analyst Dan Ives called Palantir a key player in the global AI spending wave, maintaining an ‘outperform’ rating and a $120 price target.

In banking, Citigroup (C | +1.8%) and Bank of America (BAC | +3.6%) both reported strong earnings, with trading divisions outperforming expectations thanks to market volatility.

On the downside, Applied Digital (APLD |-35.9%) plunged 36% following disappointing quarterly results.

Meanwhile, Nvidia (NVDA | +1.35%) shares sank 6.3% in after-hours trading, hit by news that U.S. export restrictions on AI chips to China could cost the company $5.5 billion in Q1 revenue. The restrictions target Nvidia’s H20 AI chip, which may be used in Chinese military applications. Rival AMD also fell 7.1% amid concerns that its MI308 chip could face similar barriers.

These chip export rules, initially introduced under President Biden, have intensified as the U.S. and China battle for AI dominance — a trend that could weigh on future growth for major chipmakers.

Daily Market Analysis – April 15, 2025 (After Market Close)

Short Term Trend

SPY (S&P 500 ETF)

• Short-Term Trend: Down (no change)
• Support at $500
• Resistance at $550

QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF)

• Short-Term Trend: Down (no change)
• Support at $415
• Resistance at $466

IWM (Russell 2000 ETF)

• Short-Term Trend: Down (no change)
• Support at $170
• Resistance at $197

Long Term Trend

SPY (S&P 500 ETF)

• Long-Term Trend: Down (no change)

QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF)

• Long-Term Trend: Down (no change)

IWM (Russell 2000 ETF)

• Long-Term Trend: Down (no change)

Market Breadth Analysis for April 15, 2025 (After Market Close)

1. Market Participation – Cooling After a Strong Run

April 15, 2025 saw 52.8% advancing stocks vs 44.6% declining

→ a neutral day with slightly positive bias.

This is a noticeable cooldown compared to:

• April 14: 79.4% advancing

• April 11: 72.8% advancing

→ The market is consolidating after a short burst of strong breadth.

2. Momentum & Leadership

Advancing 4% Day on April 15: Only 2.6% of stocks gained 4% or more.

• Declining 4% Day: Low as well at 1.8%.

→This indicates a lack of strong directional momentum.

New Highs vs New Lows:

• NH: 0.8% | NL: 1.1% – flat and uninspiring.

• Percent Positive (PP): 2.9%

→ still very low, showing weak underlying trend strength despite recent gains.

3. Moving Average Participation – Slight Improvement, Still Weak

→ Gradual improvement in participation above moving averages, but still only ~15–21% of stocks are above key trend levels. This reflects a fragile rally.

4. Conclusion

The market has recovered sharply in the short term, with broad participation across the week. However, momentum is fading, and key moving average participation remains weak.

Unless more stocks start breaking above their 50–200 day SMAs and new highs consistently outpace new lows, this rally could still prove short-lived or vulnerable.