S&P 500 closes above 6,500 for the first time ever

US stocks rose on Thursday, as investors grew more optimistic about the future of the artificial intelligence sector after Nvidia reported quarterly earnings that beat expectations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.16% (71 points) to 45,636.

The broader S&P 500 climbed 0.32% (20 points) to 6,501, marking its second consecutive record close. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.53% (115 points) to 21,705.

Meanwhile, the Stoxx Europe 600 slipped 0.20% to 553, dragged by a 0.20% decline in the aerospace and defense sector.

Germany’s DAX closed flat at 24,039, while France’s CAC 40 added 0.24% to 7,762. The UK’s FTSE 100 fell 0.42% to 9,216.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced 0.75% to 42,828, while the broader Topix gained 0.65% to 3,089.

In the oil market, Brent crude futures for October delivery rose 0.84% (57 cents) to $68.62 a barrel. WTI crude futures for October delivery added 0.70% (45 cents) to $64.60 a barrel.

As for gold, December futures rose 0.50% ($17.5) to settle at $3,466.1 an ounce.

Official data released today showed that the US real GDP grew at an annualized rate of 3.3% in the second estimate for Q2 2025, up from 3% in the preliminary reading, and compared with a 0.5% contraction in Q1.