US stocks open higher, extending positive run

Wall Street stocks opened higher Thursday, extending a positive run propelled by artificial intelligence bullishness as the Bank of England held interest rates flat.

Nvidia, which became the world's most valuable publicly traded company earlier this week, jumped 3.3 percent in early trading.

The chip company has been a huge winner over the last 18 months amid enthusiasm over generative AI that has also boosted Apple, Microsoft and others.

About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3 percent at 38,937.37.

The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.3 percent at 5,504.28, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.1 percent to 17,920.89.

Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at records Tuesday. Markets were closed on Wednesday in commemoration of the Juneteenth holiday.

The Bank of England kept its key interest rate at a 16-year high despite slowing UK inflation, opting against a cut before Britain's general election next month.