U.S. stocks ended mixed on Thursday, snapping a two-day rally, as shares of artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia fell despite reporting strong quarterly results.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.03 percent to 49,499.20. The S and P 500 sank 0.54 percent to 6,908.86. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 1.18 percent to 22,878.38.
Seven of the 11 primary S and P 500 sectors ended in red, with technology and communication services leading the laggards by falling 1.81 percent and 0.75 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, financials and industrials led the gainers by rising 1.29 percent and 0.63 percent, respectively.
Nvidia declined by approximately 5.5 percent after the chipmaker reported a stellar quarter of profit growth, with its CEO Jensen Huang noting that customers are "racing to invest in AI."
The media and entertainment sector also saw notable movement.
Paramount Skydance stock surged 10.04 percent after reporting results, while Warner Bros. Discovery remained little changed.
Netflix, which is also seeking to purchase specific assets from Warner Bros. Discovery, gained 2.29 percent following media reports that its co-CEO was scheduled to visit the White House to discuss the potential acquisition.
On the economic front, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased to 212,000 for the week ending on Feb. 21, up from 208,000 in the previous week but slightly below the 215,000 claims anticipated by economists.
U.S. stocks close mixed despite Nvidia's strong earnings
Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.
"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.
He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.
"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.
"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.
Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival
