Wall Street hits fresh highs

On Thursday, US stock markets closed at record levels. The rally came a day after the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, sparking optimism among investors.

Intel surges on Nvidia's investment

The biggest market mover was Intel. Its shares skyrocketed 22.8%, marking the strongest one-day gain since October 1987. The jump followed Nvidia's announcement of a 5 billion dollar investment in the struggling chipmaker. Meanwhile, shares of rival Advanced Micro Devices slipped 0.8%.

Nvidia rebounds

Nvidia itself advanced 3.5%, recovering losses from the previous session, which had been triggered by concerns that Chinese tech firms might halt purchases of its chips.

Tech sector leads the rally

The semiconductor index climbed 3.6%, fueling gains in the Nasdaq and the technology sector of the S&P 500, which added 1.36%. In total, seven out of eleven S&P 500 sectors closed higher.

Small-cap stocks break records

The Russell 2000 index also joined the rally, finishing at 2466 points and reaching its first record high since November. Analysts suggest that small-cap companies stand to benefit the most in a lower interest rate environment.

US markets notch further gains

The major American indices closed higher:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average added 124.10 points, or 0.27 percent, finishing at 46,142.42;
• S&P 500 advanced 31.61 points, or 0.48 percent, ending at 6,631.96;
• Nasdaq Composite climbed 209.40 points, or 0.94 percent, closing at 22,470.73.

Weakness in consumer sectors

Despite overall strength, stocks tied to consumer staples and discretionary goods posted notable declines within the S&P.

CrowdStrike jumps on upbeat forecasts

CrowdStrike shares surged 12.8 percent after at least nine brokerage firms raised their price targets for the cybersecurity company.

Darden Restaurants disappoints

Shares of Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, fell 7.7 percent following weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings.

Asia eyes policy easing

Asian markets headed for a weekly advance on Friday, supported by hopes of further global rate cuts. Japan's Nikkei, however, reversed from fresh record highs and slipped 0.3 percent, trimming its weekly gain to 0.9 percent.

Europe opens flat

European trading began without clear direction. EUROSTOXX 50 futures were little changed, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures also held steady after Wall Street's record close.

Dollar eases against yen

The US dollar slipped 0.3 percent to 147.51 yen. Meanwhile, Japan's 10-year government bond yield rose by four basis points to 1.635 percent, just shy of this month's peak of 1.64 percent, a level not seen since July 2008.

South Korea and broader Asia

South Korea's Kospi index dropped 0.7 percent but remained close to record highs. On a weekly basis, it gained 1.3 percent, pushing its two-week advance above 7 percent. The MSCI gauge for Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan fell 0.2 percent, though it is still on track to finish the week 0.6 percent higher, hovering near a four-year top.

China and Hong Kong ahead of talks

China's CSI300 index added 0.6 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.1 percent. Traders are waiting for a scheduled phone call later in the day between US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping.

Technology in the spotlight

Markets are also watching several developments: a potential deal over TikTok, Huawei's unveiling of its chip-making ambitions, and Beijing's directive telling domestic firms not to purchase Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips.

Wall Street rallies to new highs

In the US, the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq all closed at record highs. Stronger jobless claims data and Nvidia's plan to inject 5 billion dollars into Intel boosted sentiment. Shares of Intel surged 23 percent, while Nvidia climbed 3.5 percent.

Bonds and commodities

On the bond market, the yield on 10-year US Treasuries added two basis points to 4.1216 percent, marking a third straight day of gains. Oil prices declined amid concerns over fuel demand in the US: West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.3 percent to 63.38 dollars a barrel, while Brent edged down 0.2 percent to 67.32 dollars.

Gold strengthened by 0.4 percent, reaching 3658 dollars an ounce.