NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - U.S. technology-related stocks including many involved in artificial intelligence rose sharply on Thursday following stronger-than-expected results from Microsoft and Meta Platforms, while investors awaited results from Apple and Amazon.com after the closing bell.
Shares of Microsoft MSFT.O jumped 8.6% and Meta Platforms META.O gained 4.8%, while AI heavyweight Nvidia NVDA.O was up 4.3%. Also in the AI space, Advanced Micro Devices AMD.O rose 1.2%, and Broadcom AVGO.O and Super Micro Computer SMCI.O both gained 3.5%.
Shares of Amazon AMZN.O climbed 2.7%, while Apple AAPL.O was roughly flat at $212.42 as a federal judge ruled the iPhone maker had violated a U.S. court order to reform its App Store.
Demand for artificial intelligence is fueling growth in cloud and digital ads, but U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war is still expected to be a risk for many companies, especially more consumer-related names.
The top U.S. technology and growth stocks, known as the "Magnificent Seven", had stumbled early in 2025 as investor concerns about the economic fallout from Trump's tariffs grew. Even though the group has rebounded since Trump paused many of his heftiest tariffs on April 9, investors are closely watching their results.
Microsoft said late Wednesday that AI's contribution to Azure growth increased to 16 percentage points in its fiscal third quarter, from 13 percentage points in the previous three months.
Meta Platforms' report also late Wednesday signaled that its AI-powered tools helped draw advertising dollars despite tariff-related economic uncertainty.
However, shares of mobile chip designer Qualcomm QCOM.O were down 8.2% on Thursday. The company late Wednesday forecast third-quarter revenue just shy of Wall Street estimates.
Also, earlier this week, Super Micro Computer's shares fell after it cut its revenue forecast.