U.S. Stocks Edge Higher as Arm Soars 6.6%, Lifting S&P 500 and Nasdaq

• The Dow rose 0.81%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.15% at the open.
• Nasdaq advanced 1.46% as AI-related stocks moved sharply higher.
• Arm climbed more than 6.6%, leading gains among major semiconductor names.

U.S. stocks opened broadly higher on Thursday as semiconductor and artificial intelligence-linked companies led the advance. The Nasdaq posted the strongest gain, supported by renewed demand for chipmakers tied to AI infrastructure and data-center spending.

Market data showed the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.81% at the open. The S&P 500 gained 1.15%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.46%. Meanwhile, the VIX volatility index increased 3.6%, showing that caution remained present despite the early equity rally.

Arm Leads AI Stock Gains

Arm Holdings rose more than 6.6%, placing it among the session’s strongest large-cap technology performers. The move came as investors returned to companies exposed to AI processors, semiconductor manufacturing, and data-center demand.

KLA gained 5.73%, while Micron Technology rose 5.62%. Marvell Technology advanced 5.45%, and onsemi climbed 5.22%.

Notably, the gains spread across several parts of the chip supply chain. Arm designs processor architecture, Micron supplies memory products, and KLA provides equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing. Marvell and onsemi also gained as traders increased exposure to the wider technology sector.

Source: YahooFinance

According to the market chart, the tracked equity token was placed near $447.02 after a volatile opening. Price briefly dropped toward $418.88 before recovering sharply and moving close to the session’s upper range near $450.

That rebound showed strong intraday demand after the early decline. However, the price remained just below the visible $450 level, which acted as immediate resistance on the chart.

Related: Bhutan Transfers 533 BTC to Binance as State Bitcoin Reserves Decline

Tokenized US Stocks Gain Attention

The market data came through MSX, an RWA trading platform that lists tokenized versions of U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds. Its available products include assets linked to Nvidia, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and AMD.

Tokenized equities represent traditional shares through blockchain-based instruments. Depending on the product structure, they may track the underlying stock or be backed by shares held through a custodian.

Moreover, interest in these products has increased as crypto platforms expand beyond digital currencies. Coinbase recently announced plans for one-to-one-backed tokenized U.S. stocks, while other exchanges have introduced similar services for customers outside the United States.

Related: CZ Urges Governments to Tokenize Stocks and Launch Stablecoins

CZ Calls for Wider Equity Tokenization

Meanwhile, Changpeng Zhao urged governments to tokenize domestic stock markets and make them accessible to international investors.

In a post on X, CZ said countries should tokenize their stocks to allow worldwide participation. He also called for national stablecoins, arguing that blockchain-based versions of local currencies could expand their use across digital networks.

His comments followed meetings with officials and regulators in Asia focused on digital asset development. The tokenization sector had reportedly grown to nearly $30 billion by April, supported by rising activity in funds, bonds, commodities, and equities.

On one hand, Thursday’s rally reflected demand for established AI and semiconductor companies. On the other hand, the growth of tokenized markets is creating new routes for investors to access similar assets through blockchain platforms.

Even so, the immediate focus remains on whether the Nasdaq and AI shares can preserve their early gains after the opening surge.