Nasdaq futures surge

Nasdaq 100 futures pushed to a fresh record on April 21, extending a tech-led rally that has carried the index back above its October 2025 peak. (google.com) (reuters.com) By mid-afternoon UTC, the continuous E-mini Nasdaq 100 contract was trading near 26,834, after touching an intraday high around 26,902, according to Google Finance and Investing.com data. (google.com) (investing.com) That move followed a run of record-setting cash sessions last week, when Reuters reported the Nasdaq posted its first intraday and closing all-time highs since October as investors rotated back into technology shares. (reuters.com) Nasdaq 100 futures are contracts tied to the index’s expected level, so they trade nearly around the clock and often show where investors are leaning before the stock market opens. The contract is listed by CME Group at $20 times the index value. (cmegroup.com) The leadership on April 21 came from the same corner of the market that has driven the rebound for weeks: large-cap growth and semiconductors. Bloomberg reported on April 16 that bullish options positioning had returned to the Nasdaq 100 during its longest winning streak since 2019. (bloomberg.com) One smaller chip name drawing attention was Navitas Semiconductor, which said on April 16 that it will report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5 and describes itself as a maker of gallium nitride and silicon carbide power chips used in artificial intelligence data centers, power systems and industrial equipment. (finance.yahoo.com) (ir.navitassemi.com) Navitas shares were quoted at $11.41 on the company’s investor relations page on April 21, up 11.26% on a delayed basis, after the company announced former Broadcom executive Gregory M. Fischer had joined its board on April 13. (ir.navitassemi.com) (markets.businessinsider.com) Social-media posts framed Navitas as a standout inside growth portfolios, with one investor claiming roughly a fivefold gain from earlier purchases. That performance claim could not be independently verified, but the stock’s move from the high-single digits in late March to above $11 in April helps explain why it surfaced in the day’s market chatter. (x.com) (coincentral.com) (ir.navitassemi.com) The rally also unfolded alongside fresh geopolitical headlines and uneven action under the surface, with social posts pointing to intraday divergence even as index futures held near highs. For now, the tape still shows traders paying up for tech exposure, and the Nasdaq 100 remains the clearest expression of that bet. (x.com) (marketwatch.com)