US stocks opened in green on Thursday, drifting toward the brink of another record. The S&P 500 reached 6,115.94, edging up 23.78 points or 0.39%, reaching closer to its record high last set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also climbed 167.74 points or 0.39%, trading at 43,150.17. Nasdaq Composite, too followed the suit, rising by 0.38% or by 75.69 points, reaching 20,049.24 at 7:30 pm IST.McCormick, known for its range of cooking spices, surged 5.3% after posting stronger-than-expected quarterly profits. The company also issued a full-year profit outlook that surpassed analysts’ estimates, highlighting planned measures to cushion the impact of rising costs linked to tariffs introduced during Donald Trump’s presidency.On the tech front, chipmaker Nvidia rose 0.5%, pushing its year-to-date gains to 15.3%. It now holds the title of the most valuable company in the US stock market.Micron Technology, a supplier of computer memory and data storage, also surged 0.3% after beating analyst expectations on both profit and revenue for the latest quarter. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra highlighted rising demand for memory driven by artificial intelligence, and the company issued a profit forecast for the current quarter that also came in above expectations.The US economy shrank 0.5% for the first quarter of January-March, more than previously estimated in the first quarter of 2025. However, many economists believe the figures were distorted by a surge in early-year imports, as US companies rushed to purchase foreign goods ahead of incoming tariffs. They remain optimistic, expecting stronger growth in the months ahead.Following the reports, treasury yields fluctuated throughout the bond market but ultimately ended the day with little overall change.Global stock markets saw a mixed performance across Europe and Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.6%, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.9%, marking two of the more notable shifts.In the oil market, where much of the week’s attention has been focused, crude prices regained some ground after a sharp $10-per-barrel drop earlier this week. Benchmark US crude rose 1% to $65.55 a barrel, though it remains below levels seen before the onset of the Israel-Iran conflict.
