US Stock Market Highlights: Stocks rise to kick off May as Microsoft and Meta rekindle the AI trade

US Stock Market Highlights:  US stocks rose on Thursday (May 1) as strong earnings from major tech companies helped calm investor concerns about the impact of economic uncertainty and trade tensions on artificial intelligence momentum. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 83.60 points, or 0.21%, to close at 40,752.96.

US Stock Market Highlights:  US stocks rose on Thursday (May 1) as strong earnings from major tech companies helped calm investor concerns about the impact of economic uncertainty and trade tensions on artificial intelligence momentum. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 83.60 points, or 0.21%, to close at 40,752.96. The S&P 500 advanced 0.63% to finish at 5,604.14, nearing levels last seen before President Donald Trump’s early-April announcement of new tariffs under his “Liberation Day” economic plan. The Nasdaq Composite led the gains, rising 1.52% to close at 17,710.74 — fully recovering from its losses since April 2. The rally was fueled by better-than-expected quarterly results from Meta Platforms, which soothed market jitters about a potential slowdown in the AI trade. On an earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is "well-positioned to navigate the macroeconomic uncertainty,” reinforcing investor confidence in the sector's resilience.