A "spike" is a kind of nail, with a sharp point. On a chart, a sudden rise and fall makes a shape with a sharp, vertical point. On a chart, this can be called a "spike." Something that makes a spike on a chart can be said to be "spiking" or to "have spiked." "I thought it was just a cold, until she suddenly spiked a fever of 39°C." "In the U.S., the price of gold spiked in 1979 and then stayed low for twenty years."

to make or cause to grow a lot, suddenly (causar un aumento repentino)

A sharp increase in the magnitude or concentration of something. e.g:"the oil price spike"