US benchmark equity indexes rose for the third straight session on Thursday, led by a rally in the technology sector as investors evaluated the latest set of corporate results.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite finished 2.7% higher at 17,166, while the S&P 500 rose 2% to 5,484.8. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% to 40,093.4. Barring consumer staples, all sectors advanced, with technology gaining 3.5%.

The so-called magnificent-7 group of stocks, which comprises Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Tesla (TSLA), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN) and Nvidia (NVDA), all rose.

In company news, ServiceNow (NOW) surged nearly 16%, the best performer on the S&P 500. The software company late Wednesday logged first-quarter results above market expectations amid robust demand for its artificial intelligence offerings.

Hasbro (HAS) shares jumped 15%, the second top gainer on the S&P 500, after the toymaker delivered a quarterly beat and extended its collaboration with Walt Disney (DIS). Shares of Disney were up 3.1%.

IBM (IBM) shares declined 6.6%. The company late Wednesday posted first-quarter earnings that declined, while revenue rose on a year-over-year bump in its software segment.

US Treasury yields were down, with the 10-year rate dropping 8.2 basis points to 4.31% and the two-year rate falling 8.8 basis points to 3.8%.

In economic news, US durable goods orders increased more than expected in March, buoyed mainly by robust demand for commercial planes, government data showed.

"US durable goods orders blew past even the loftiest expectations," aided by strong bookings at plane maker Boeing (BA), BMO Capital Markets said in a report. "Despite the mounting uncertainties, firms were clearly tariff front-running," Senior Economist Priscilla Thiagamoorthy wrote.

US existing home sales decreased more than expected in March as prices reached a record high for the month, according to National Association of Realtors data.

"An extension of the uncertainty that has characterized the last few weeks, along with concerns for a slowdown in economic growth and higher inflation, are likely adding to hesitancy among buyers," TD Economics said. "These elements combined don't bode well for housing activity over the near-term, suggesting that a 'sustained' recovery in sales will take more time to find its legs."

Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose in line with Wall Street's expectations, while continuing claims fell, according to the Department of Labor.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington and South Korea may reach an "agreement of understanding" on trade as early as next week, The Wall Street Journal reported.

China said Thursday there were no ongoing tariff negotiations with the US, CNBC reported. The Trump administration indicated earlier in the week that there would be some easing in the trade rift with Beijing, according to the report.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.8% at $62.76 a barrel.

Gold rose 1.7% to $3,351.4 per troy ounce, while silver edged up 0.1% to $33.57 per ounce.