- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
- Biden-Netanyahu talk as Hezbollah, Israeli forces clash
- Musk's X available again in Brazil after 40-day ban
- Reddy stars as India crush Bangladesh to clinch T20 series
- Nobel winners hope protein work will spur 'incredible' breakthroughs
- What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained
- Arch rivals Ghana, Nigeria drawn together in CHAN qualifying
- AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
- Trump lauds India's Modi as 'total killer'
- Wall Street, Europe rise as Chinese shares tumble
- Hunkering down for Hurricane Milton at Disney -- but first, a few rides
- Reddy, Rinku power India to 221-9 in second Bangladesh T20
- Overshooting 1.5C risks 'irreversible' climate impact: study
- Time running out in Florida to flee Hurricane Milton
US stocks advance ahead of April payroll data
US stocks rose on Thursday as investors digested the Federal Reserve interest rate outlook and awaited Apple's latest results on the eve of critical payroll data.
Large technology companies enjoyed a positive session, lifting the Nasdaq amid continued bullishness over artificial intelligence.
After the market closed Thursday, Apple reported a two percent drop in quarterly profits to $23.7 billion as it announced an epic $110 billion share buyback, propelling shares higher in after-hours trading.
Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell warned Wednesday US interest rates would stay higher for longer, after the central bank left borrowing costs on hold once again.
Powell's remarks, however, were tempered by his assurance that rates would not likely be hiked again, soothing worries in some quarters that the bank's battle to bring inflation back to its two percent target would need to be stepped up.
The Fed also said it would slow down the pace at which it shrinks its balance sheet, having bought up vast amounts of bonds previously to keep rates low.
The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note retreated a day after Powell said an interest rate hike was unlikely.
"The investors are breathing a sigh of relief because Fed Chair Powell basically said that a rate hike is unlikely," said Sam Stovall of CFRA Research. "And that I think was the biggest concern that investors had going into the Fed meeting where they thought that Powell would be more hawkish than he actually was."
Elsewhere, London's stocks rose, helped by forecast-busting first-quarter earnings from energy major Shell, but Frankfurt and Paris retreated as both markets returned from a May Day holiday.
Currency traders will be keeping a nervous watch on the yen on Friday and Monday, which are holidays in Japan that usually cause thin liquidity, while analysts said a strong US jobs report could also send the dollar racing higher again.
Soon after Powell's comments on Wednesday, the yen soared around three percent to 153.04 per dollar, raising suspicion that Japanese officials had stepped into forex markets again.
It subsequently slid back but then pushed higher against the dollar.
A rally on Monday -- after the yen hit a new 34-year low of 160.17 -- had led to similar speculation.
- Key figures around 2030 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.9 percent at 38,225.66 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.9 percent at 5,064.20 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.5 percent at 15,840.96 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,172.15 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,914.65 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.2 percent at 17,896.50 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.6 percent at 4,890.61 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 38,236.07 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.5 percent at 18,207.13 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 153.52 yen from 154.57 yen on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0731 from $1.0712
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2537 from $1.2527
Euro/pound: UP at 85.56 pence from 85.50 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $78.95 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.3 percent at $83.67 per barrel
burs-jmb/bjt
O.M.Souza--AMWN