01:01 PM EST, 11/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were higher after midday Thursday as investors weighed tech-giant Nvidia's ( NVDA ) Q3 results while weekly jobless claims surprisingly declined.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 5,951.2, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.3% to 43,954.5. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.1% at 18,976.2. All three indexes were off intraday lows.

Energy, industrials, and financials led the gainers intraday. The communication services sector was the standout decliner.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) reported late Wednesday fiscal Q3 results that topped analysts' estimates. The chipmaker's fiscal Q4 revenue guidance at $37.5 billion plus or minus 2%, straddling the $37.09 billion estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet, underwhelmed investors. Shares of the company, a technology bellwether and strong contributor to stock market returns in recent quarters, retreated 1.4% intraday.

In economic news, US initial jobless claims fell to 213,000 in the week ended Nov. 16 from an upwardly revised 219,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for an increase to 220,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. Initial claims were at 242,000 during the week to Oct. 12. The four-week moving average fell by 3,750 to 217,750.

The Conference Board's measure of leading indicators fell 0.4% in October, below expectations for a 0.3% decline in a survey compiled by Bloomberg and following a 0.3% decrease in September.

The pace of US existing home sales rose 3.4% to a 3.96 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in October from a downwardly revised 3.83 million in September, compared with an expected increase to a 3.95 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors released Thursday show. Total sales were up 2.9% from a year earlier, the first year-over-year increase since July 2021.

"The worst of the downturn in home sales could be over, with increasing inventory leading to more transactions," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

Most US Treasury yields were little changed intraday, with the 10-year up less than one basis point to 4.41%. The two-year rate climbed 2.2 basis points to 4.32%.

In company news, PDD Holdings ( PDD ) shares fell past 9.9% intraday, the worst performer on the Nasdaq after the company reported Q3 non-GAAP earnings and revenue that missed analyst expectations.

Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) must sell its Chrome browser and take other major steps to end its monopoly on internet searches, said the US Justice Department and a group of states in a filing Wednesday. Google ( GOOG ) denounced the proposed measures as "extreme." Shares dropped 5.6% intraday, among the worst on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained 1.1% to $69.53 a barrel.

Gold rose 0.8% to $2,671.51 an ounce. Silver fell 0.5% to $30.86 an ounce.