The stock market kicked off the week’s trading on a positive note, with all main indices finishing in the green territory, as economies took a pause from their tariff war, while investors breathed a sigh of relief on the February retail sales report which didn’t come worse.
According to the latest figures, retail sales rose 0.2 percent, albeit below the 0.6 percent as expected by analysts. Excluding autos, sales are up by 0.3 percent, in line with economists’ expectations.
Following the news, the Dow Jones clocked in a 0.85-percent gain, followed by the S&P 500 with 0.64 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq with 0.31 percent.
Meanwhile, 10 companies that led the rally posted modest gains as fresh company developments sparked investor buying. In this article, we have listed Monday’s 10 top performers and detailed the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with $2 billion market capitalization and $5 million in trading volume.
Stock market charts. Photo by Kaboompics.com on Pexels
10. Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD)
Robinhood Markets grew its share prices by 7.08 percent on Monday to close at $42.02 apiece as investors took heart from news that it was officially making a foray into the betting markets platform.
In a statement, HOOD said it would integrate the predictions market hub into its application which will allow investors to trade on the outcomes of some of the world’s biggest events.
At launch, the hub will allow customers to trade contracts for what the upper bound of the target fed funds rate will be in May, as well as the upcoming men’s and women’s College Basketball Tournaments.
“We believe in the power of prediction markets and think they play an important role at the intersection of news, economics, politics, sports, and culture,” said HOOD Vice President and General Manager for Futures and International JB Mackenzie.
The prediction markets hub and corresponding contracts will initially be available across the US through KalshiEX LLC, a CFTC-regulated exchange.
9. Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX)
Recursion Pharmaceuticals rose for a second straight day on Monday, adding 7.72 percent to close at $6.84 apiece as investors repositioned portfolios while all eyes were on the ongoing NVIDIA GTC event.
It can be recalled that RXRX was one of the few companies in which giant chipmaker Nvidia Corp. invested. In a regulatory filing last month, NVDA’s holdings showed that it retained its 7.7-million holdings in RXRX, while exiting firms, including SoundHound AI.
The news represented a vote of confidence not just for NVDA but among small investors.
RXRX is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading the space by decoding biology to industrialize drug discovery.
8. TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL)
TAL Education grew its share prices by 7.67 percent on Monday to finish at $14.32 apiece as investors continued to place bets on AI stocks to mitigate the risks from the ongoing trade tensions among the world’s largest economies.
TAL, a China-based education company, is currently heavy on AI to bolster modern learning. Just recently, it launched what it called a “Genius Tutor,” an AI-powered system that transforms learning into an interactive and engaging experience.
Built on the Microsoft Azure OpenAI GPT-4o model, GeniusTutor provides real-time guidance and feedback, empowering students to conquer complex math problems through logic-driven, step-by-step explanations, master writing with interactive prompts and instant feedback that build confidence and creativity, and enhance vocabulary and reading skills with innovative tools like “Point-and-Discover.”
7. Trip.com Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:TCOM)
Trip stayed firmer for a second day on Monday, adding 8 percent to finish at $66.67, as investors cheered twin news of partnerships with two flag carriers.
On Monday, TCOM said it expanded its long-standing partnership with Emirates to focus on identifying growth opportunities in new markets and customer segments.
Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate to enhance TCOM’s global presence through strategic partnerships and activations, leveraging Emirates’ extensive international network and coordinating promotional efforts in key Asian and European markets.
Additionally, the two firms will coordinate impactful campaigns to drive growth in global markets and explore value-added services and customized offers for their customers.
Meanwhile, TCOM also teamed up with Malaysia Airlines to integrate the exclusive MHupgrade program into the Trip website.
The two firms said travelers can look forward to indulging in the luxury of Malaysia Airlines’ Business Class and Business Suite.
According to TCOM, it saw a remarkable increase in Business Class bookings on the Trip website last year, with a triple-digit growth as compared with last year.
6. Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:UEC)
Uranium Energy rallied by 8.66 percent on Monday to close at $5.52 apiece as investors resorted to bargain-hunting following Friday’s drop.
Despite the rally, investor caution continues to linger on UEC amid the risks of the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada on its business.
UEC, one of the largest uranium producers with projects in both the United States and Canada, stands to be hurt by higher import prices and possible lower demand for uranium products as a result of the growing trade tensions between the two economies.
Albeit granting a lower 10-percent tariff on uranium products, investors resorted to sell-offs to minimize the risks of Trump’s frequent changes in US tariff policies.
Canada is currently the US’ largest uranium producer, delivering 27 percent of its total supply, followed by Australia and Kazakhstan with 22 percent of deliveries each, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Late last month, a Canadian uranium miner and producer signaled that prices for US customers could rise by 10 percent if Trump’s tariff threats were to be implemented.
5. American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE:AEO)
American Eagle rose for a second day on Monday, adding 8.77 percent to finish at $12.03 each following news that it would embark on a $200-million share buyback program.
In a statement, AEO said it entered into an accelerated share repurchase program with Bank of America to repurchase $200 million of its common stock, equating to roughly 18.1 million shares at the closing price on March 14, 2025.
The company said it intended to complete the buyback in connection with its existing share repurchase buyback of 68.5 million shares.
“We are pleased to announce an accelerated share repurchase program, which reflects our strong capital position and confidence in our long-term strategic growth plan. This program, combined with our quarterly cash dividend, underscores our commitment to a balanced approach to capital allocation and delivering strong returns to shareholders,” said AEO Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay Schottenstein.
4. Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU)
Baidu surged by 9.01 percent on Monday to end at $102.27 apiece as investors cheered news that it launched two new Artificial Intelligence models which it claims deliver the same performance as DeepSeek’s at an even lower price.
On Sunday, BIDU introduced the ERNIE X1 and ERNIE 4.5, as the company became the new addition to the heating up AI industry to challenge OpenAI’s ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek.
“ERNIE X1 delivers performance on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price,” the company said, adding that it has “stronger understanding, planning, reflection, and evolution capabilities,” and that it is the first deep thinking model that uses tools autonomously.
Meanwhile, the ERNIE 4.5 has “excellent multimodal understanding ability. It has more advanced language ability, and its understanding, generation, logic, and memory abilities are comprehensively improved.”
3. D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)
D-Wave Quantum extended its winning streak for a fifth straight day on Monday, adding 10.15 percent to close at $11.18 apiece as investors continued to buy on impressive sales growth last year coupled with news that it bested one of the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers.
Last week, QBTS announced it achieved a 502-percent jump in bookings at $18.3 million in the fourth quarter from only $3 million in the same period a year earlier, while bookings in the full-year period registered a 128-percent jump at $23.9 million from $10.5 million year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the company said in an article published in “Science” journal that it outperformed one of the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers at solving complex simulation problems. The news also spilled over to other quantum computing stocks which registered gains on Monday.
2. Celsius Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CELH)
Celsius Holdings rallied by 10.52 percent on Monday to end at $29.93 each as investors reacted to news that PepsiCo, which owns a significant stake in the company, moved to expand its healthy drinks category.
The rally came after news that PepsiCo entered into an agreement to acquire prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $2 billion.
“More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness. Poppi is a great complement to our portfolio transformation efforts to meet these needs,” said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta.
The news dribbled into CELH which produces a range of fitness and energy beverages under the brand Celsius.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Additional terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
1. Hesai Group (NASDAQ:HSAI)
Hesai Group jumped by 12.63 percent on Monday to end at $22.30 apiece as investors cheered news that it was breaking ground for its first overseas factory to shield itself from the growing trade tensions between the United States and China.
In a report by the Financial Times, HSAI is slated to build its first overseas plant next year as it looks to build production lines overseas in addition to its factories in China “to avoid risks related to geopolitics and tariffs.”
“Our clients who are hoping to diffuse the risks have found it a wise approach,” HSAI Chief Finance Officer Andrew Fan was quoted as saying.
HSAI is a leading manufacturer of lidar systems. Earlier this month, it bagged a new deal with a leading European OEM to supply advanced ultra-long-range automotive lidars for the latter’s upcoming platform, including both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) models.
“This multi-year program will last into the next decade, marking it the largest global program for the automotive lidar industry,” it said.
Additionally, HSAI secured a new design win with China’s 5th largest electric vehicle maker for the supply of its ATX lidar, which is expected to enhance the EV’s intelligent driving systems.
While we acknowledge the potential of HSAI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as HSAI but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
