S&P 500, Nasdaq close at new record highs

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed Wednesday at new record-high levels as US stocks finished the day with major gains.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped almost 331 points, or 1.96%, to end the session at 17,187.90. The S&P 500 rose nearly 63 points, or 1.18%, to finish at 5,354.03.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, was up 96 points, or 0.25%, to end the day at 38,807.33.

The record feats came as Nvidia also saw its stock price soaring to a record-high of $1,224.40 for a 5.16% daily gain. The chipmaker's market cap passed the $3 trillion mark and has overtaken Apple as the second-most-valuable company in the US by the closing bell.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, dove 4.2% to 12.60. The 10-year US Treasury yield fell 1.3% to 4.277%.

The dollar index rose 0.2% to 104.31, while the euro lost 0.1% to $1.0868 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in positive territory, with gold adding 1.2% to $2,355 and silver gaining 1.65% to $29.99.

Oil prices were up around 1.3%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $78.50 and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $74.20 per barrel.