U.S. stock markets experienced an upward trend primarily spurred by Meta Platforms and Tesla, following a wave of earnings announcements from pivotal companies in the nation.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 increased by 0.5%, marking a positive day for equity markets. Additionally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a rise of 0.4%, while the Nasdaq composite edged up by 0.3%.

Both Meta and Tesla enjoyed boosts after releasing their latest earnings results, which sparked optimism regarding future growth. However, Microsoft tempered the overall market momentum after its earnings report fell short of expectations, particularly regarding its cloud-computing sector. In addition, Treasury yields saw a slight decline following a report that presented consistent yet mildly slower economic growth for the U.S. in the last quarter of 2024.

Here’s a summary of Thursday’s performance:

The S&P 500 gained 31.86 points, or 0.5%, finishing at 6,071.17.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 168.61 points, or 0.4%, to close at 44,882.13.

The Nasdaq composite rose by 49.43 points, representing a 0.3% ascent, to end at 19,681.75.

Moreover, the Russell 2000 index, which tracks smaller companies, climbed by 24.36 points, or 1.1%, reaching 2,307.45.

Over the course of the week, the S&P 500 has seen a minor decline of 30.07 points, equivalent to 0.5%. The Dow, conversely, has grown by 457.88 points, or 1%. The Nasdaq has slipped by 272.55 points, representing a 1.4% decrease, while the Russell 2000 has experienced a marginal drop of 0.29 points, or less than 0.1%.

Looking at the year-to-date figures:

The S&P 500 has risen by 189.54 points, or 3.2%.

The Dow has increased by 2,337.91 points, equivalent to 5.5%.

The Nasdaq has gained 370.96 points, or 1.9%.
Finally, the Russell 2000 index has advanced by 77.29 points, representing a 3.5% rise.