Wall Street shatters new records

US stock indexes rose at the start of Friday’s session, supported by strength in the technology sector, particularly artificial intelligence shares, despite the ongoing US government shutdown.

The shutdown, now in its third day, continues to raise concerns about economic slowdown, inflation risks, and labor market weakness. As a result, the Labor Department has halted the release of key economic reports, including the nonfarm payrolls report for September.

In trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1% (443 points) to 46,966 points as of 15:43 GMT. The broader S&P 500 index climbed 0.4% (29 points) to 6,744 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2% (38 points) to 22,882 points.