<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div> The S&amp;P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 1.03% to 7,137.12, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) jumped 1.64% to 24,657.57 to notch a record high, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) gained 0.69% to 49,490.02 in a broad relief rally.<h2 id="market-movers">Market movers</h2>Mega-cap tech stocks led the way, with Alphabet advancing 2% after unveiling new AI chips and partnerships. Crypto platform Coinbase climbed 5% as the broader crypto market boomed following “truce” headlines, sparking a risk-on environment. Lastly, cybersecurity behemoth CrowdStrike also rose 4% after a bullish analyst upgrade.<h2 id="what-this-means-for-investors">What this means for investors</h2>Buoyed by news of an Iran War ceasefire extension, all three of the United States’ main indexes rose today, with the Nasdaq reaching a new record high. While easing geopolitical fears probably did much of the heavy lifting, prompting the market’s resurgence today, Alphabet also played a key role among the mega-cap tech stocks.Alphabet may have “only” risen 2% today, but it announced:<ul><li>a Google Cloud partnership with Merck worth up to $1 billion</li><li>an expanded deal with Crowdstrike</li><li>an agreement with Thinking Labs to provide Nvidia’s AI capabilities through Google Cloud</li><li>its next-Gen AI infrastructure, the A5X, built alongside Nvidia</li><li>the release of two new 8th-generation tensor processing units (its in-house processors)</li><li>a Google Cloud deal with M&amp;M-maker Mars</li><li>expanded partnerships with McKinsey, Accenture, Broadcom, and Oracle</li></ul>Altogether, it was a good day to have remained fully invested in the market, and Alphabet continues to look interesting to me thanks to its reasonable valuation and immense growth optionality.<h2>Should you buy stock in S&amp;P 500 Index right now?</h2> Before you buy stock in S&amp;P 500 Index, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and S&amp;P 500 Index wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $499,277!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,225,371!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 972% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 198% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of April 22, 2026. Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Alphabet, CrowdStrike, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc, Alphabet, Broadcom, CrowdStrike, Merck, Nvidia, and Oracle. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global and recommends the following options: long January 2028 $260 calls on Accenture Plc and short January 2028 $280 calls on Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. </div></div>

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The S&P 500 rose 1.03%, the Nasdaq jumped 1.64% to a record high, and the Dow gained 0.69% amid a relief rally. Alphabet led the gains with a 2% rise after announcing new AI chips and partnerships, including a $1 billion deal with Merck. Coinbase and CrowdStrike also saw significant increases. The market's rise was supported by easing geopolitical tensions, particularly news of an Iran War ceasefire extension. Investors are advised to consider alternative stocks recommended by The Motley Fool, as the S&P 500 Index was not included in their top picks.

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Stock Market Today, April 22: Alphabet Helps Lead U.S. Markets Higher After Unveiling New AI Chips and Partnerships