US benchmark equity indexes ended higher Wednesday as Netflix's (NFLX) Q4 results and a $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure project boosted risk appetite in the technology and communication services sectors.

* Netflix shares were up nearly 10%. Late Tuesday, streaming giant's Q4 financial results exceeded Wall Street's estimates as it reported a record addition of subscribers.

* Netflix's latest price hikes are expected to drive revenue growth this year, while its ad tier is seen accelerating sales in 2026, Wedbush Securities said in a note.

* Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI said a new company called Stargate plans to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new artificial intelligence infrastructure for OpenAI in the US. Arm (ARM), Microsoft, Nvidia (NVDA), Oracle (ORCL), and OpenAI will be the key initial technology partners, the parent of generative AI chatbot ChatGPT said.

* Nvidia shares were up 4.4%; Microsoft rose 4%; Oracle gained 6.6%; while Arm surged 16%.

* March West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $0.36 to settle at $75.47 per barrel, while March Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.29 to $79.00 on concerns global growth will slow if Donald Trump starts a trade war by following through on threats to impose tariffs on imports from US allies and adversaries.

* Mortgage applications in the US were little changed last week as 30-year fixed interest rates remained around 7%, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

* Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 4.5% year over year in the week ended Jan. 18, faster than a 4% gain in the prior week due to cold weather clothing shopping and clearance sales.