Stock Market Today, April 22: Alphabet Helps Lead U.S. Markets Higher After Unveiling New AI Chips and Partnerships
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By Josh Kohn-Lindquist – Apr 22, 2026 at 5:10PM ESTThe S&P 500 (^GSPC +1.05%) rose 1.03% to 7,137.12, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +1.64%) jumped 1.64% to 24,657.57 to notch a record high, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.69%) gained 0.69% to 49,490.02 in a broad relief rally.Market moversMega-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.What this means for investorsBuoyed 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:a Google Cloud partnership with Merck worth up to $1 billionan expanded deal with Crowdstrikean agreement with Thinking Labs to provide Nvidia’s AI capabilities through Google Cloudits next-Gen AI infrastructure, the A5X, built alongside Nvidiathe release of two new 8th-generation tensor processing units (its in-house processors)a Google Cloud deal with M&M-maker Marsexpanded partnerships with McKinsey, Accenture, Broadcom, and OracleAltogether, 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.Read NextApr 22, 2026 •By Jeremy BowmanOil Prices and the S&P 500 Are Both Moving Higher. Here's What It Means for InvestorsApr 22, 2026 •By Neil Patel5 Things Every Investor Should Know About This Market Before Buying AnythingApr 22, 2026 •By Trevor JennewineShould You Really Buy Stocks With the S&P 500 Near Its Record High?
Historical Data Gives a Clear Answer.Apr 22, 2026 •By Sean WilliamsThe S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Just Made History -- the Time to Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy Has ArrivedApr 21, 2026 •By Emma NewberyStock Market Today, April 21: Markets in Wait-and-See Mode as Hopes for New U.S.-Iran Peace Talks FadeApr 21, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPAWhy May 15 Could Be a Huge Day for the Stock MarketAbout the AuthorJosh Kohn-Lindquist is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering consumer goods, industrials, and technology stocks. Previously, Josh was a senior mutual fund accountant at Gemini Fund Services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of South Dakota.TMFJorykoX@JorykoliStocks MentionedS&P 500 IndexSNPINDEX: ^GSPC$7,137.90(+1.05%)+$73.89NASDAQ Composite IndexNASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC$24,657.57(+1.64%)+$397.60Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJINDICES: ^DJI$49,490.03(+0.69%)+$340.65*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.