Tesla, IBM and Meta Platforms helped lead most U.S. stocks higher on Thursday following a rush of profit reports from some of the country’s most influential companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, as four out of every five stocks in the index climbed.

Nasdaq futures inched higher on Wednesday as chip sector stocks gained after quarterly orders for semiconductor equipment maker ASML exceeded expectations, while investors awaited the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision later in the day.