Nvidia, Apple and Alphabet drive $4.2T market value jump

The world’s 10 most valuable companies have added nearly $4.2 trillion in market value since the start of the Iran conflict in late February, as investor optimism surrounding artificial intelligence outweighed geopolitical concerns.

The combined market capitalization of the global corporate giants rose 16.69% to reach approximately $29.24 trillion, despite heightened tensions following the joint US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Markets initially reacted negatively to the conflict. By the end of March, the total value of the top 10 firms had fallen by more than $1 trillion compared with levels seen before the escalation, dropping to roughly $23.98 trillion.

However, sentiment shifted sharply in April as easing geopolitical fears and growing enthusiasm around AI investments triggered a powerful rebound in technology stocks. Major investment banks also issued increasingly bullish recommendations, helping fuel one of the strongest rallies in mega-cap equities in recent years.

Nvidia emerged as the biggest symbol of the AI-driven surge, becoming the first company to cross the $5 trillion market capitalization threshold. The chipmaker reached a record valuation of $5.229 trillion in April after recovering from losses suffered earlier during the conflict-driven market selloff.

Although Nvidia briefly slipped below the milestone following profit-taking, the company later regained the level as investor demand for AI-related stocks remained strong.

Alphabet recorded the largest dollar-based increase among the top firms, adding more than $1 trillion in market value since the conflict began. The company’s valuation climbed to approximately $4.834 trillion, placing it just behind Nvidia.

Apple also surpassed the $4 trillion mark, reaching a market capitalization of around $4.309 trillion.

Other major technology firms continued benefiting from AI optimism and resilient investor appetite for mega-cap growth stocks. Microsoft reached a valuation of $3.084 trillion, while Amazon climbed to $2.933 trillion.

Semiconductor and infrastructure-related companies also posted strong gains. Broadcom became the fastest-growing stock among the group in percentage terms, surging more than 34% since the war began.

Meanwhile, TSMC rose to a market value of nearly $1.9 trillion as demand for advanced chips continued accelerating worldwide.

Outside the tech sector, Saudi Aramco gained about $158 billion in value amid rising oil prices linked to Middle East tensions, while Tesla added roughly $98 billion.

Meta was the only company among the top 10 to lose value during the period, shedding more than $92 billion.

Analysts say the rally highlights how AI investment expectations have become powerful enough to offset many traditional geopolitical risks, with investors continuing to pour money into technology leaders despite ongoing global uncertainty.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada