-- Tech stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 1.5% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gaining 2.6%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor index added 2%.
In corporate news, Apple (AAPL) recorded a 20% year-over-year increase in smartphone shipments in China during Q1 to become the second-largest seller in the country, Counterpoint Research said Friday. Apple shares climbed 2.7%.
Amazon.com (AMZN)-backed Anthropic is in talks with the European Commission on its different models, including its cybersecurity models that are not available in the EU, Reuters reported Friday. Amazon shares added 1.7%.
Bandwidth (BAND) shares jumped past 9% after B. Riley raised its price target to $27 from $20 while keeping its buy rating.