Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (+0.3%), Nasdaq Composite (+0.3%), and DJIA (+0.6%) trade in a relatively stable range one hour into today's action. With today's modest gain, the Nasdaq Composite moves back into positive territory for the year. 

Sector strength remains solid, with eight S&P 500 sectors trading higher and the worst-performing communication services sector (-0.6%) shedding half of its earlier weakness. 

On the earnings front, Spotify (SPOT 491.14, +76.30, +18.39%) is surging higher after delivering a blowout 4Q25 earnings report featuring record-breaking profitability and user growth. The streaming giant's results, highlighted by a record 33.1% gross margin and a massive beat in Monthly Active Users (MAUs), have reignited investor confidence. This performance effectively validates Spotify's pricing power and its shift toward a high-margin, diversified audio ecosystem.