01:44 PM EST, 12/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) up 0.1% and the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) rising 1%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor index added 0.2%.

In corporate news, Apple ( AAPL ) shares rose 0.2% after Wedbush said in a note to clients that artificial intelligence strategy is expected to spur a "golden era of growth" in 2025 for the company.

SEALSQ ( LAES ) shares surged past 59% after the company said Thursday it launched a research and innovation hub that aims to help organizations transition to quantum-safe encryption.

WiMi Hologram Cloud ( WIMI ) shares jumped more than 10% after the company said Thursday it developed a random access memory architecture based on quantum technology.