Why Alphabet Stock Just Popped

Alphabet’s stock jumped mid-day Thursday after Google announced a new “Gemini for desktop” app that brings its Gemini AI directly to users’ PCs. The software is downloaded, installed, and activated with a keyboard shortcut—Alt + Space on Windows, Option + Space on Mac—to open “Gemini Spark, your 24/7 personal AI agent.” Google says Gemini Spark can answer questions, verify facts, draft text, and also help build images or construct videos. The announcement appears to be lifting sentiment: Alphabet was up about 1.7% at 2:45 p.m. ET. Shares have risen 37% over the past year, compared with about twice the S&P 500’s gain.