What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after the broader market rebounded from a tech-driven sell-off, with investors taking the opportunity to buy stocks at lower prices. 

This rally was fueled by a recovery in technology stocks and a significant bounce in Bitcoin, which stabilized after losing over half its value from its October peak. Investor sentiment was also lifted by a surprising improvement in U.S. consumer sentiment and the realization that massive AI-related capital expenditure, such as Amazon's planned $200 billion, directly benefits chipmakers like Nvidia and Broadcom. These "pick-and-shovel" winners jumped as much as 7%, helping the S&P 500 edge back into positive territory for 2026. The highlight of the day was the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which surged and crossed the historic 50,000 threshold for the first time.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Renewable Energy company Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) jumped 12.9%. Is now the time to buy Plug Power? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Defense Contractors company AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) jumped 8.8%. Is now the time to buy AeroVironment? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Custom Parts Manufacturing company Proto Labs (NYSE: PRLB) jumped 27.5%. Is now the time to buy Proto Labs? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Renewable Energy company FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) jumped 13.8%. Is now the time to buy FuelCell Energy? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Custom Parts Manufacturing company 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) jumped 10.1%. Is now the time to buy 3D Systems? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Proto Labs (PRLB)

Proto Labs’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 12 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for Proto Labs and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 14 days ago when the stock dropped 3% on the news that the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell as much as 0.7%, reflecting lingering uncertainty, and capping off a volatile week which saw stocks enjoy some relief as President Donald Trump reduced tensions with European allies by backing off his threat of imposing new tariffs. Threats of tariffs initially created uncertainty for businesses, as they can lead to higher costs for multinational corporations and disrupt global supply chains. By withdrawing the threat, the administration removed a significant headwind for the market, prompting a relief rally. This development was a key factor in helping major indexes recover from earlier losses, even as some analysts noted that underlying geopolitical risks and market volatility remain concerns for investors.

Proto Labs is up 30.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $67.23 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Proto Labs’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $296.71.

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