The opening bell had rung hours ago, but the energy on Wall Street was anything but ordinary. Traders in sharp suits and with sharper tongues barked orders across the chaotic trading floors of Manhattan's towering financial institutions. By mid-morning, one ticker was on everyone's screen: NVIDIA. Its market cap, already a staggering $1.1 trillion, had inexplicably begun to climb, surging past $1.2 trillion. By noon, it was touching $1.3 trillion.
"Who the hell is buying?" barked Ron Sutter, a senior analyst at Paramount Securities. His desk, usually a picture of meticulous organization, was littered with coffee cups, scribbled notes, and half-eaten bagels. He glared at his team as if sheer intimidation could will the answers from them.
"We've ruled out the usual suspects," mumbled Janice, his most trusted junior trader, her eyes glued to the Bloomberg terminal. "Apple, Tesla, Amazon—none of their filings show any unusual activity."
