03:28 PM EDT, 10/17/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) rising 0.6% and the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) adding 1.2%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor index climbed 1.7%.

In corporate news, Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed (MSFT) OpenAI and Bain are extending their partnership to sell OpenAI's ChatGPT and other AI tools to the consulting firm's clients, the Wall Street Journal reported. Microsoft ( MSFT ) shares were rising 0.2%.