
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed Thursday after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher after flipping between gains and losses several times during the day. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 461 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. Nvidia rose just 0.5% after beating analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue yet again, but it was still the strongest force pulling the S&P 500 upward. It also gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that topped most analysts’ expectations due to voracious demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Its stock initially sank in afterhours trading Wednesday following the release of the results. Some investors said the market might have been looking for Nvidia’s revenue forecast to surpass expectations by even more. But its stock recovered in premarket trading Thursday, and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said it was another “flawless” profit report provided by Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, whom Ives calls “the Godfather of AI.” The stock meandered through Thursday as well, dragging the S&P 500 and other indexes back and forth. How Nvidia’s stock performs has more impact than any other because it’s grown into Wall Street’s most valuable company at roughly $3.6 trillion. The frenzy around AI is sweeping up other stocks, and Snowflake jumped 32.7% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, whose platform helps customers get a better view of all their silos of data and use AI, also reported stronger revenue growth than expected. BJ’S Wholesale Club rose 8.3% after likewise delivering a bigger profit than expected. That may help calm worries about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. A day earlier, Target tumbled after reporting sluggish sales in the latest quarter and giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 ended up rising Thursday, and the gains were even bigger among smaller companies. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped a market-leading 1.7%. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, helped keep indexes in check. It fell 4.7% after U.S. regulators asked a judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine. Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android but left the door open to it if the company’s oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. All told, the S&P 500 rose 31.60 points to 5,948.71. The Dow jumped 461.88 to 43,870.35, and the Nasdaq composite added 6.28 to 18,972.42. In the crypto market, bitcoin eclipsed $99,000 for the first time before pulling back toward $98,000, according to CoinDesk. It’s more than doubled so far this year, and its climb has accelerated since Election Day. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the country “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Bitcoin got a further boost after Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said Thursday he would step down in January . Gensler has pushed for more protections for crypto investors. Bitcoin and related investment have a notorious history of big price swings in both directions. MicroStrategy, a company that’s been raising cash expressly to buy bitcoin, saw an early Thursday gain of 14.6% for its stock quickly disappear. It finished the day with a loss of 16.2%. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2% to bring its gain for the week to 4.8%. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8%. Oil has been rising amid escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. In stock markets abroad, shares of India’s Adani Enterprises plunged 22.6% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. Stock indexes elsewhere in Asia and Europe were mixed. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.43% from 4.41% late Wednesday following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy. One said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in the latest signal that the job market remains solid. Another report, though, said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly shrank. Sales of previously occupied homes, meanwhile, strengthened last month by more than expected. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.
Pakistani authorities launch operation to clear Imran Khan supporters from the capital
Girls basketball roundup: Austin pours in 28 as Spring Garden wins in Champions semifinals
Calgary Flames (12-6-3, in the Pacific Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (8-11-1, in the Atlantic Division) Ottawa, Ontario; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Ottawa Senators host the Calgary Flames after the Flames defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout. Ottawa has an 8-11-1 record overall and a 5-5-1 record in home games. The Senators are 3-4-1 in one-goal games. Calgary is 3-3-3 on the road and 12-6-3 overall. The Flames have gone 7-0-2 in games they have fewer penalties than their opponent. Monday's game is the first time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Stutzle has nine goals and 15 assists for the Senators. Tyler Kleven has scored goals over the last 10 games. Rasmus Andersson has scored five goals with eight assists for the Flames. Matthew Coronato has over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 3-6-1, averaging 2.3 goals, 4.1 assists, five penalties and 11.7 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game. Flames: 6-2-2, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.5 assists, 3.2 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game. INJURIES: Senators: None listed. Flames: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressCowboys win wild one vs. Commanders to halt five-game slide
Dallas Stars (13-6, in the Central Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (14-5-1, in the Metropolitan Division) Raleigh, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars hit the road against the Carolina Hurricanes trying to extend a three-game road winning streak. Carolina has a 7-1-0 record at home and a 14-5-1 record overall. The Hurricanes are 6-1-0 in games their opponents commit more penalties. Dallas has a 5-4-0 record in road games and a 13-6 record overall. The Stars have a 6-2-0 record in games their opponents serve more penalty minutes. Monday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Martin Necas has scored 11 goals with 22 assists for the Hurricanes. Jackson Blake has over the past 10 games. Tyler Seguin has scored seven goals with nine assists for the Stars. Logan Stankoven has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 6-3-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.4 assists, three penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. Stars: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.5 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. INJURIES: Hurricanes: None listed. Stars: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressOla Electric Layoff: Ola Electric may lay off 500 employees, this is the reason
"They are right" - Pep Guardiola reacts to booing Man City fans after Feyenoord collapseThe Fine Gael leader was asked about the controversy in the first question posed during the second and final TV leaders’ debate of Ireland’s General Election campaign. Mr Harris apologised over the weekend for his handling of the discussion with Charlotte Fallon while canvassing in Kanturk in Co Cork on Friday evening. The Taoiseach was accused of dismissing concerns that Ms Fallon raised about Government support for the disability sector during the exchange filmed by RTE in a supermarket. Mr Harris rang Ms Fallon on Saturday and said he unreservedly apologised for the way he treated her, however focus has since shifted to Fine Gael’s interactions with the national broadcaster about the social media video. At the outset of Tuesday’s TV debate, co-host Miriam O’Callaghan directly asked the Fine Gael leader whether a member of his party contacted RTE to ask for the clip to be taken down. “I have no knowledge of that whatsoever, because this clip was entirely appropriate,” said Mr Harris. “It was a very important moment on the campaign. “And RTE and indeed many media outlets have been with me throughout the campaign, covering many interactions that I’ve had with many, many people right across this country.” The Taoiseach said the approach by his team member was part of the “normal contact that happens between party politics and broadcasters on a daily basis”. Mr Harris’s partner-in-government in the last coalition, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, said he was not aware of the approach to RTE by Fine Gael. “I didn’t realise this had happened,” he said. “I think Simon has given his explanation to it. I’m not sure it’s as normal or as usual. I just get on with it every day. But, again, I think, you know, I’m not au fait with the details behind all of this, or the background to it. “The video didn’t come down, and it was seen by many, many people. “And I think it illustrates that out there, there are a lot of people suffering in our society. “Notwithstanding the progress we’ve made as a country, a lot of people are facing a lot of individual challenges, and our job as public representatives and as leaders in travelling the country is to listen to people, hear their cases, to understand the challenges that they are going through in their lives. “And when we go about in election campaigns, we have to open up ourselves to criticism and to people calling us to account.” Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald had earlier in the day described reports of the Fine Gael approach to RTE as “chilling”. However, at the start of the debate, she was asked about a media-focused issue related to her own party, namely the controversial manifesto proposal for an independent expert review of RTE’s objectivity in its coverage of the war in Gaza and other international conflicts. Mr Harris previously branded the proposal a “dog whistle to conspiracy theorists” while Mr Martin said it was a “dangerous departure”. Ms McDonald defended the idea during the RTE Prime Time debate on Tuesday. “Politics and politicians should not try to influence editorial decisions or try and have clips taken down because they are inconvenient to them,” she said. “There has to be distance, there has to be objectivity. But I would say I am struck by the very defensive reaction from some to this (the review proposal). “The BBC, for example, a peer review looked at their coverage on migration. Politicians didn’t put their hands on it, and rightly so. “I think in a world where we have to rely on quality information, especially from the national broadcaster, which is in receipt of very substantial public funding, that has to be the gold standard of reliability. I think peer reviews like that are healthy.”Racing Optics® Introduces Game-Changing Twilight Tearoff to Enhance Visibility in Low-Light Racing Conditions