
Nasdaq refreshes record as US markets close higher

Wall Street closed higher on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), with the Nasdaq Composite reaching a fresh record close as gains in major technology names buoyed sentiment despite escalating tariff rhetoric from United States President Donald Trump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 217.5 points, or 0.5%, closing at 44,458.3, the S&P 500 gained 37.7 points, or 0.6%, to finish at 6,263.3, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 192.9 points, or 0.9%, to end at an all-time high of 20,611.3. Chipmaker NVIDIA led the charge, advancing 1.8% during the session. The stock briefly touched a market capitalisation of US$4 trillion, becoming the first company in history to do so. Fellow AI-linked giants Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet also gained 1.7%, 1.4%, and 1.3%, respectively. The rally came in spite of heightened trade tensions following a series of tariff declarations from President Trump this week. On Wednesday, Trump issued letters setting new U.S. tariff rates on imports from six additional countries - Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka. The move follows similar letters earlier in the week targeting 14 nations, such as South Korea and Japan. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump re




