Jan 2 (Reuters) - Nvidia ( NVDA ) emerged as the biggest

global gainer in market capitalization for 2024, driven by

surging interest in artificial intelligence and the robust

demand for its AI-centric chips across various industries.

The chipmaker's market value increased by over $2 trillion

last year, reaching $3.28 trillion at the close of 2024, making

it the second-most valuable listed company in the world. Its

market value was $1.2 trillion at the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Apple ( AAPL ) continued to lead global companies

in market value, nearing a historic $4 trillion valuation. This

surge was fuelled by investor enthusiasm for the company's

anticipated AI enhancements, aimed at revitalizing sluggish

iPhone sales.

At the end of 2024, Microsoft ( MSFT ) ranked third with a

market value of $3.1 trillion, followed by Alphabet Inc ( GOOG )

and Amazon ( AMZN ), each valued at approximately $2.3

trillion.

These tech companies significantly boosted their respective

global indexes in 2024, with the S&P 500 index surging

23.3% and the Nasdaq climbing 28.6%.

Despite the shares' higher valuations, looming U.S.-China

tariff tensions, and potentially slower U.S. interest rate cuts,

analysts remain optimistic about the sustained strong

performance by tech firms in 2025.

Daniel Ives of Wedbush predicts a 25% gain in tech stocks in

2025, attributing potential growth to a less regulatory

environment under Donald Trump, forthcoming strong AI

initiatives, and a stable foundation for Big Tech and Tesla

in 2025 and beyond.

"We believe tech stocks will be robust in 2025 on the

shoulders of the AI Revolution and $2 trillion+ of incremental

AI cap-ex over the next 3 years," he said.