Dec 11 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq breached the 20,000-point

mark on Wednesday, as a rally in technology stocks showed no

signs of slowing on hopes of looser regulation under Donald

Trump's presidency and bets on AI-fueled earnings growth in the

coming quarters.

The tech-heavy index rose 1.6% to an all-time high

of 20001.42 points.

It has jumped more than 33% this year, outperforming the

benchmark S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow, as technology

megacaps including Nvidia ( NVDA ), Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Apple ( AAPL )

add more heft to the index with their relentless surge.

Currently, the three companies form the $3-trillion club,

with the iPhone maker gaining a narrow lead.

The index hit 19,000 points for the first time in early

November, when Donald Trump secured victory in the U.S.

presidential election and his Republican Party swept both houses

of Congress.

U.S. equities have since been supported by hopes that

Trump's policies on tax cuts and looser regulation could support

Big Tech firms, and the Federal Reserve's monetary easing could

keep the U.S. economy humming.

(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil

D'Silva)