03:48 PM EDT, 03/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks rose late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) adding 0.6% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) climbing 1.3%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor index advanced 1.3%.

In corporate news, Accenture ( ACN ) raised its 2026 expectations on Thursday amid strong demand for the consulting firm's AI services, saying its guidance does not assume the worst-case scenario regarding the Middle East conflict. Its shares climbed more than 4%.

Meta Platforms ( META ) launched its AI support assistant globally on Facebook and Instagram and outlined a multiyear plan to rely less on outside contractors for content moderation as it deploys more advanced AI systems. Meta shares were down 1.6%.

Micron Technology ( MU ) reported stronger-than-expected fiscal Q2 results and issued an upbeat outlook for the ongoing three-month period, but the semiconductor maker flagged higher spending plans amid memory supply constraints. Its shares fell 3.1%.

Alibaba ( BABA ) reported lower-than-expected fiscal Q3 earnings on Thursday, while the Chinese e-commerce giant's revenue fell short of estimates despite double-digit growth in its cloud business. Alibaba ( BABA ) shares dropped past 6%.