U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Nasdaq up 0.81%, the S&P 500 rising 0.65% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 0.13%, while the VIX edged up 0.55%. The newer report said the S&P 500 topped 7,800 intraday for the first time before closing at a record 7,798.99, and the Nasdaq Composite ended at 26,803.03. Gains were led by AI- and tech-related shares including Workday, UiPath, The Trade Desk, Atlassian and Palantir, alongside strength in semiconductor names such as Micron Technology, SanDisk and SK Hynix. U.S.-listed Chinese stocks underperformed, with the Nasdaq China Golden Dragon Index down 1.85%, Alibaba off 2% and JD.com down 7%. The market advance came even after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. Navy could maintain a blockade of Iranian ports "indefinitely," while Brent crude had settled at $87.07 a barrel after a drop of more than 2% and WTI fell to $81.25 overnight.