Nvidia’s NVDA starts 2025 strong with a 6% YTD gain

Nvidia (NVDA) is kicking off 2025 like it owns the year already. Shares are up almost 6% just two trading days into January, with the stock sitting at $143.78 as of press time.

That’s a sharp turn from the rough end to 2024, where Nvidia lost 4% in the last week of December. But no one seems to care about that now. Let’s talk numbers. Nvidia ended 2024 up 170%, which came right after an absurd 240% gain in 2023.

Those are the kinds of returns that make Wall Street stop what it’s doing to pay attention. Risk appetite seems to be alive and well, especially for investors still betting on Nvidia’s AI dominance.

Recent trading shows solid recovery

January 2 was a big day. Nvidia surged over 3% during early trading. Sure, the end of December was disappointing—blame the lack of a “Santa Claus rally,” which usually pumps the markets around Christmas. But Nvidia’s performance has been nothing short of a masterclass in recovery.

At its current price, Nvidia’s stock isn’t far from its 52-week high of $152.89. Its market cap? A casual $3.52 trillion—no big deal. Investors traded over 112 million shares just today.

If this keeps up, Nvidia could crush new records this year. Analysts are already making bold predictions, some putting a $173 target on NVDA by year’s end. Why? Simple: AI demand, upcoming chip releases, and partnerships with tech giants like Microsoft and Google.

Meanwhile, January 8 is circled on every Nvidia investor’s calendar. CEO Jensen Huang will take the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. He’s expected to unveil the highly anticipated Blackwell chips, which could set the bar even higher for AI computing.

If these chips perform as expected, Nvidia might tighten its stranglehold on the AI sector. The excitement around Nvidia mirrors a broader surge in market optimism. U.S. stock futures are ticking up, with the Dow adding 79 points, the S&P 500 climbing 0.25%, and the Nasdaq gaining 0.34%.

And Bitcoin is flexing early in 2025, climbing 6% to $98,000 as of press time. That puts its new year gains near 4%, following a wild postelection rally that briefly pushed Bitcoin past $100,000.

Investors are counting on President Donald Trump to deliver on his pro-crypto promises and create a friendly environment. Congress might even pass its first-ever crypto-focused legislation, which could bring some much-needed structure to the market.

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