The Dow rose in the last hour of trading to score a 115-point gain on Thursday, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 notched solid gains of their own as chip and tech stocks rallied, with the latter seeing its highest close since August. Walmart's (WMT) strong financial results and U.S. debt ceiling talks were in focus, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy noting a vote could happen next week. Meanwhile, Treasury yields rose after Dallas Federal Reserve President Lorie Logan spoke against pausing interest rate hikes.

GOLD, OIL PRICES FALL AMID DEBT CEILING TALKS

Oil prices settled lower on Thursday, with traders taking on a more cautious stance as they continued to monitor U.S. debt ceiling talks. June-dated crude fell 97 cents, or 1.3%, to close at $71.86 per barrel.

Gold prices also finished lower, marking their third consecutive session in the red as the U.S. dollar continued to gather strength. June-dated gold shed $25.10, or 1.3%, to close at $1,959.80 an ounce.

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