New York, Feb 25, 2026, 12:26 ET — Regular session
- AppLovin shares jumped roughly 7.5% by midday, recovering a chunk of the week’s earlier drop.
- U.S. tech shares steadied, and that gave the market a lift, with Nvidia’s earnings set to hit after the bell.
- The SEC says its investigation is “active and ongoing,” and that’s where investors’ attention is locked right now.
AppLovin Corp (APP.O) climbed roughly 7.5% to $422.66 as of midday Wednesday, with the stock moving between $391.72 and $427.18 earlier in the session.
After tumbling 9.1% on Monday to close at $380.62, the stock bounced back 3.3% to $393.22 on Tuesday, historical pricing data show.
Technology names pulled U.S. indexes out of their slump, as traders positioned ahead of Nvidia’s earnings, hanging hopes on the AI rally steadying after February’s turbulence. “I see AI disruption continuing as a dominant market theme through this year,” said Sam Stovall, CFRA’s chief investment strategist. Reuters
Even so, nerves are showing across the tech landscape. “AI will continue to disrupt the world but I don’t think it’s the end of the world,” said Ken Polcari, partner and chief market strategist at Slatestone Wealth. Investors are still hashing out whether software stocks have sold off too sharply in recent sessions. Reuters
AppLovin’s main headache right now comes from regulators. The SEC’s probe into the company is still in motion, Reuters said last week, referencing Bloomberg, after the agency refused to hand over documents and confirmed the case remains “still active and ongoing.” Reuters
AppLovin is making headlines again, this time over its ambitions to launch a new social networking platform. “We aim to build a completely new next-generation social media platform,” Chief Product and Engineering Officer Giovanni Ge said on a podcast, as reported by Sherwood News. Sherwood News
AppLovin, known for its advertising and app-marketing products, posted its latest quarterly numbers on Feb. 11. Back then, Reuters noted the company topped sales expectations for the fourth quarter, though management flagged intensifying competition for ad spending and lingering questions over the broader economic environment.
AppLovin submitted its annual Form 10-K on Feb. 19, a detail posted on its investor relations page.
Still, the risks are straightforward. If another SEC-related disclosure lands, the stock could take another hit. And if high-valuation tech, particularly ad-tech names exposed to mobile demand, fall out of favor, swings like those seen this week could get even wilder.
Coming Thursday, traders are eyeing a packed U.S. data schedule: durable goods orders and an updated look at GDP measures due Feb. 26. Both could move the needle on rate bets and send ripples through growth-sensitive shares.
Nvidia’s numbers, due out after Wednesday’s bell, are still setting the tone for AI names in tech trading.
