US stocks rise on tech gains

US equities closed Wednesday in the green, supported by gains in major technology stocks led by Nvidia, as investors assessed signals from the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes on the path of monetary policy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.26%, or 129 points, to 49,662.

The S&P 500 added 0.56%, or 38 points, to 6,881, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.78%, or 175 points, to 22,753.

The technology sector was buoyed by a 1.63% rise in Nvidia shares to $187.98 after the chipmaker expanded its partnership with Meta to supply millions of AI chips.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 jumped 1.20% to a record close of 628.69, with financial stocks up 0.86%.

France’s CAC 40 rose 0.80% to 8,429. Germany’s DAX gained 1.12% to 25,278, and the UK’s FTSE 100 climbed 1.23% to a record 10,686.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 1% to 57,143 points, while the broader Topix advanced 1.20% to 3,807 points.

Brent crude futures for April delivery surged 4.35%, or $2.93, to $70.35 a barrel.

US WTI crude for March delivery rose 4.59%, or $2.86, to $65.19.

Gold futures for April delivery jumped 2.11%, or $103.60, to $5,009.50 an ounce.

What’s Driving Markets? Wall Street drew momentum from improving sentiment toward technology stocks, despite lingering uncertainty following the Fed minutes, which showed some policymakers favoring further rate hikes if inflation remains above target.