12:34 PM EDT, 10/15/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose in midday trading on Wednesday as strong quarterly results from banking behemoths boosted investors' risk sentiment.

The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.1% to 22,774.5, with the S&P 500 up 0.9% to 6,701.3, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.5% higher at 46,526.8. Technology, communication services, and utilities led the gainers intraday, with all sectors trading in the green.

The Russell 2000 Index, a gauge of smaller companies, advanced 1.2% to 2,524.6, after hitting another record of 2,541.67 intraday.

Morgan Stanley ( MS ) shares jumped 5.7% intraday, among the top gainers on the S&P 500, after the company reported Q3 earnings and revenue above market expectations.

Bank of America ( BAC ) also reported higher Q3 earnings and revenue, beating consensus estimates. Its shares advanced 5.2%, also among the outperformers in the S&P 500.

Among mega-caps, which are defined as companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, the top three gainers included Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) , Bank of America ( BAC ), and Morgan Stanley ( MS ). All but one Magnificent-7 stocks rose, led by Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL).

Wedbush Securities raised the price target for Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) to $270 from $190 while keeping its outperform rating. HSBC adjusted the company's price objective to $310 from $185 but maintained the buy rating for its shares.

Alphabet's Google ( GOOG ) subsidiary, Waymo, announced on Wednesday that it is launching autonomous ride-hailing services in London next year.