The Dow Jones rose 0.34%, the Nasdaq index gained 1.51% and the broader S&P 500 index gained 0.94%. Nasdaq and S&P 500 ended 12,688.84 and 4,198.05 points, respectively, the highest in nearly nine months at the close.

As on several occasions, this year, the tempo has been dictated by Wall Street's giant tech capitalizations.

"We hear a lot about artificial intelligence, and every quarter of an hour, we are shown the prices of Nvidia or Google," said Tom Cahill, Ventura Wealth Management. "Everyone is excited about the potential of artificial intelligence (...) That's what drives the tech sector."

The major players in AI, whether Alphabet (+1.68%), Microsoft (+1.44%) or the manufacturer of graphics cards Nvidia (+4.97%) have had the wind in their sails.

The data analysis specialist Palantir even soared (+14.54%), after statements by its emblematic boss Alex Karp on the favorable positioning of the group at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

Semiconductor manufacturers such as Broadcom (+3.11%), AMD (+4.03%) or Intel (+2.81%), essential in the AI race, were also sought.

Overall, the New York market had many reasons to accelerate on Thursday with, in addition to technology stocks, the demonstration of Walmart (+1.30%).

The retail juggernaut did significantly better than its peers and published results above analysts' forecasts, thanks in particular to its competitive prices, which make the chain a preferred destination in times of economic uncertainty.

Despite a slight decline in its margins, the giant of Bentonville (Arkansas), considered a barometer of consumption in the United States, has raised its profit target for the whole of its staggered fiscal year (from February to January).

On the macroeconomic side, weekly jobless claims showed a surprise decline, confirming the insolent strength of the job market, and the manufacturing activity index in the Philadelphia region (northeast) recovered significantly from April to May.

However, the Dow Jones took the whole session to come out of the red, on a market without enthusiasm.

"There's a lot of confusion, a lot to digest right now, between the debt ceiling and comments from members of the Fed about a possible further rate hike," Cahill said.

On Thursday, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said current macroeconomic data did not warrant a pause in the monetary tightening cycle at the Fed's next meeting in mid-June.

Traders now give a 40% probability of a rate hike in June, while they valued it at only 10% a week ago.

Bond yields, already under stress, reacted. The yield on 10-year US government bonds rose as high as 3.65%, the highest in two months.

On the stock exchange, the Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba, listed on Wall Street, drank the cup (-5.41%), weighed down by results below forecasts. Investors did not react better to the announcement of the separate listing of its subsidiary dedicated to remote computing (cloud) within 12 months.

Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive jumped (+11.69%) after reporting revenue up 55%, above expectations, driven by its hit titles NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto (GTA), as well as a series of mobile games.

Netflix burst (+9.2%) after a presentation to advertisers on Wednesday, during which the platform's managers said they had five million "active users" of its offer including advertising.

© 2023 AFP