-- Tech stocks rose late Thursday afternoon with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gaining 0.2% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) advancing 4.1%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor index climbed 2%.
In corporate news, Qualcomm's (QCOM) shares jumped 15% a day after the company posted better-than-expected fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.