Stock Market Live November 17: S&P 500 (SPY) Bracing for Nvidia Earnings

By Ian Cooper Published Nov 17, 9:51AM EST

Live Updates

Tesla Soaring on Buy Rating

Nov 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST

Analysts at Stifel just reiterated a buy rating on Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), with a price target of $508. “Following strong 3Q25 sales, we expect some headwinds for auto sales following the expiration of the U.S. EV tax credit. Importantly, we believe TSLA is making strong progress on FSD and Robotaxi, both of which we believe is critical to value creation,” said the firm, as also quoted by CNBC.

In addition, Stifel pointed to updates to Tesla’s full self-driving system, with the company planning to add “reasoning capabilities” in newer versions. The firm was also impressed with Tesla’s strong earnings and revenue. In its most recent quarter, Tesla posted revenue of $28.1 billion, which was well above estimates of $26.37 billion.

Opening Update

Nov 17, 2025 at 9:51 AM EST

US stocks wobbled at the open but stabilized, with the Nasdaq Composite up 0.25% amid tech volatility. The S&P 500 gained 0.23%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.07% to 47,115.27.

Investors await Nvidia’s high-stakes earnings Wednesday, testing AI hype amid valuation doubts—NVDA shares fell 0.74% after Peter Thiel’s fund sold a $100M stake. Berkshire Hathaway’s $5B Alphabet bet boosted GOOGL +5.83%. Rate-cut odds slipped to 45% ahead of Thursday’s delayed September jobs report. Bitcoin slid below $94K, erasing YTD gains. Biotech shines: Zymeworks +34%, Jazz Pharma +20% on cancer trial wins.

The S&P 500 is in the red this morning, down about 10 points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is down about $1.66. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones is down 88 points, while the NASDAQ is down 40 points.

All as markets wait on Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) earnings due on Wednesday after the bell.

Markets want to hear more about the $500 billion in combined orders for 2025 and 2026, as CEO Jensen Huang revealed in October. It’s a sign that Nvidia is confident in another year of strong growth, and it’s a hopeful sign that the AI boom still has room to run.

Here’s what we do know right now.

Big Tech is still spending billions on AI, which will benefit Nvidia.

Google raised its 2025 capex outlook to $91–$93B. Microsoft is increasing its spending by 74% to $34.9B. Meta nearly doubled capex to $19.37B, far above expectations. Amazon projects $125B in 2025 capex, with more increases planned for 2026

And warnings of an “AI bubble” are increasingly being dismissed by top analysts.

Goldman Sachs says, “it believes the AI story is just getting started – and the investments that seem huge today will be dwarfed by the benefits AI will deliver,” as noted by Quartz.com.

JPMorgan’s Mary Callahan Erdoes added, “AI is presenting opportunities not fully appreciated or understood yet,” as noted by CNBC. “AI itself is not a bubble. That’s a crazy concept… We are on the precipice of a major, major revolution in a way that companies operate.”

Heading into earnings, analysts expect NVDA to post EPS of $1.25 on $54.83 billion in sales, which would be a 56% jump year over year. Analysts are also looking for guidance of $ 61.88 billion in sales for the next quarter.

Analysts Rate NVDA a Buy Heading into Earnings

Heading into earnings, analysts at Bank of America just reiterated a buy rating on NVDA. Analysts at Rothschild & Co. also reiterated a buy rating on NVDA, raising its target price to $245 from $211 a share.

Oppenheimer reiterated an outperform rating with a price target of $265 a share. Citi reiterated a buy rating on the stock, with a price target of $220 from $210. The firm expects NVDA to post sales of $56.8 billion, as compared to analyst expectations for $54.6 billion.

About the Author Ian Cooper →

Ian Cooper is a veteran market analyst and investment strategist with more than 20 years of experience covering stocks, commodities, and macro trends. Since 1999, he has helped investors identify market opportunities using a blend of technical analysis, fundamental research, and market sentiment.

He is the creator of the ADD News Flow Strategy, which focuses on trading market reactions to major news events and investor psychology. Cooper was also among the analysts who warned about the 2008 financial crisis and major financial institution collapses ahead of the broader market.

Before joining 247 Wall St., Cooper wrote extensively for InvestorPlace and other financial publications, covering market trends, trading strategies, and investment opportunities.