NEW YORK: The S&P 500 posted a record high close on Friday for the first time in two years, fuelled by a rally in chipmakers and other heavyweight technology stocks on optimism around artificial intelligence.

       The benchmark's close confirmed that the S&P 500 has been in a bull market since it closed at its low on Oct. 12, 2022, according to one measure which also puts that date as the end of a bear market.