US stocks ticked higher on Thursday as technology shares rallied following signs of strong demand in the artificial-intelligence (AI) sector. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 116 points or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq gained 0.5%, though markets remained choppy throughout the week, AP reported.Tech stocks led gains after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported a larger-than-expected profit for the latest quarter. CFO Wendell Huang said the company anticipates “continued strong demand for our leading-edge process technologies” through the end of the year. TSMC, a key chipmaker for AI companies including Nvidia, saw its Taiwan-listed shares climb 1.4%, while its US-listed stock slipped 0.2%.Nvidia rose 1.3%, emerging as the top contributor to the S&P 500 rally, reflecting its position as Wall Street’s most valuable stock. Analysts warn that the surge in AI stocks has drawn comparisons to the dot-com bubble of 2000, even as inflation remains high and the job market slows.Salesforce jumped 8% after announcing plans to deliver over 10% compounded annual revenue growth in coming years, helping lift the Dow. Freight company J.B. Hunt Transport Services soared 17.3% after exceeding third-quarter profit expectations. These gains offset a 4% drop for Travelers, whose profits beat forecasts but revenue fell short. Hewlett Packard Enterprise fell 8.8% after setting long-term financial targets that analysts considered modest.Global markets also saw broad gains. South Korea’s Kospi surged 2.5% amid optimism over a potential US-Seoul trade deal, with Samsung Electronics and automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia leading the rally. Chinese indexes edged up 0.1% in Shanghai but fell 0.1% in Hong Kong as trade tensions with the US lingered.In the bond market, the 10-year Treasury yield eased to 4.04% from 4.05% late Wednesday. A report showed that manufacturing activity in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly contracted, offering a limited view of economic conditions as the Federal Reserve weighs inflation against a slowing labour market.Market updates have also been disrupted by the US government shutdown, delaying key economic releases including weekly unemployment claims and inflation data that typically guide trading on Wall Street.