US Stocks Surge as Dow Gains 300 Points, American Axle & Mfg Posts Upbeat Earnings

US stocks traded higher, with the Dow Jones gaining 300 points, while American Axle & Manufacturing reported better-than-expected earnings for Q2. Communication services shares jumped 1%, and utilities stocks rose 0.1%. Other notable gains came from Pineapple Financial, MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies, and Oriental Rise Holdings. Meanwhile, BioVie Inc., Fundamental Global Inc., and The Trade Desk experienced declines. Oil traded down 1.2%, while gold, silver, and copper rose. European and Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 1.85% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng declining 0.89%. Data on Baker Hughes crude oil rigs was released on Friday.

U.S. stocks traded higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones gaining around 300 points. The Dow Jones index rose 0.69% to 44,270.42, while the NASDAQ gained 0.72% to 21,395.15. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining 0.70% to 6,384.55. Leading the gains were communication services shares, which jumped by 1% on Friday. Utilities stocks rose by just 0.1%.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL) reported better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter. The company posted quarterly earnings of 21 cents per share, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of 15 cents per share. The company also reported quarterly sales of $1.536 billion, which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $1.537 billion. American Axle expects full-year revenue in the range of $5.75 billion to $5.95 billion [1].

Other notable gains came from Pineapple Financial Inc. (PAPL) and MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. (MRM). Pineapple Financial shares surged 79% to $5.04, while MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies shares gained 54% to $1.8501 following the company's announcement of a strategic collaboration with Hakuhodo Inc. to participate in "World," a "proof of human" protocol co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Oriental Rise Holdings Limited (ORIS) shares were also up, gaining 54% to $0.1384.

Meanwhile, BioVie Inc. (BIVI), Fundamental Global Inc. (FGF), and The Trade Desk, Inc. (TTD) experienced declines. BioVie Inc. shares dropped 43% to $1.66 after the company reported the pricing of $12 million public offering. Fundamental Global Inc. shares fell 39% to $22.08 after the company filed for $5 billion shelf registration. The Trade Desk, Inc. shares fell 38% to $54.88 after the company reported second-quarter financial results.

In commodity news, oil traded down 1.2% to $63.14, while gold traded up 0.9% at $3,485.70. Silver traded up 0.9% to $38.625, and copper rose 1.3% to $4.4565. European shares were mixed, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 rising 0.1%, while Spain's IBEX 35 Index gained 0.6%. London's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%, Germany's DAX 40 declined 0.3%, and France's CAC 40 rose 0.2%. Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 1.85%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng declining 0.89%, China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.12%, and India's BSE Sensex falling 0.95%. Data on Baker Hughes crude oil rigs was released on Friday.

References:
[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-axle-q2-earnings-snapshot-121137063.html
[2] https://seekingalpha.com/news/4481549-american-axle-and-manufacturing-q2-2025-earnings-preview
[3] https://www.benzinga.com/markets/market-summary/25/08/47000520/dow-surges-300-points-american-axle-manufacturing-posts-upbeat-earnings
[4] https://www.ainvest.com/news/top-12-financial-stocks-moving-friday-pre-market-session-2508/
[5] https://www.timothysykes.com/news/biovie-inc-bivi-news-2025_08_08/