Market Highlights

Wall Street traders drove stocks higher as oil closed below $100 after Israel agreed to direct talks with Lebanon, bolstering expectations that a US ceasefire deal will hold. Equities extended gains into a seventh straight day, with the S&P 500 notching its longest winning run since October. That’s despite a selloff in software shares. US crude settled near $98 on hopes for a de-escalation in strikes that have prompted Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz largely blocked. Asian stocks rose, extending their firstweekly gain since the Middle East war began, with investors cautiously hopeful ahead of US-Iran talks this weekend. Oil was set for its biggest weekly loss in nine months

A wave of optimism swept through global financial markets, boosting stocks and cryptocurrencies while spurring a selloff in oil after the US and Iran reached a ceasefire deal. The rebound in risk appetite drove the S&P 500 up 2.5%. US crude settled below $95, easing concern about an energy crisis and reviving bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates in 2026. Treasuries wavered. As the haven bid waned, the dollar erased its advance for the year. Bitcoin topped $71,000. Stocks dropped and oil rose as optimism over the US-Iran ceasefire faded after Tehran warned that some terms of the deal had been breached.

Hopes for a diplomatic way out of the war in the Middle East spurred a bounce in stocks as oil fell ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire. In the final stretch of a jittery Wall Street session, markets got a degree of relief as Pakistan urged the US for a two-week extension of the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The S&P 500 erased a 1.2% drop. US crude slipped to around $112 in late hours. Bond yields and the dollar fell. Oil fell the most in almost six years and stocks surged after the US and Iran agreed to a two- week ceasefire, giving markets a respite from the turbulence driven by the Middle East conflict.

Oil climbed and stocks whipsawed after President Donald Trump signaled that an escalation of strikes on Iran could come as soon as Tuesday, overshadowing hopes for a ceasefire. Fears that imminent military action could derail tentative progress toward restoring energy flowsthrough the Strait of Hormuz drove US crude above $112. In a volatile session, equities held on to small gains, with the S&P 500 posting its longest advance since January. Bonds and the dollar barely budged. US stock futures fell and crude oil advanced ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to make a peace deal, with tentative ceasefire signals tempered by the risk of further escalation.

US stocks rallied for a second day as hopes grew that the war in the Middle East may be nearing a conclusion, while Brent briefly fell below $100 a barrel. Treasuries wavered and the dollar marked a second day of declines. The S&P 500 closed up 0.7%, adding to gains from the previous session as investors assessed comments by President Donald Trump on the war’s trajectory. Trump said on Wednesday that Iran has asked for a ceasefire, adding that the US would only consider it if the Strait of Hormuz were reopened. Iran’s foreign ministry said the claim of a ceasefire request was “false and baseless,” according to state TV Oil jumped, while stocks and bonds fell after President Donald Trump warned the US would hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks, undermining expectations for an imminent resolution to the five-week-old Middle East conflict.

Wall Street staged a dramatic comeback at the end of March, with stocks climbing as oil fell on hopes that the war that has jolted global markets and disrupted energy supplies may be nearing a conclusion. Equities saw their biggest rally since May on speculation that both the US and Iran might be looking for a way out of the conflict. The S&P 500 gained 2.9% and the Nasdaq Composite added 3.8%. Airlines jumped while energy producers slipped. US crude closed near $101. Its retreat from multiyear highs extended an advance in Treasuries. The dollar dropped and gold rose. Asian stocks jumped the most in a year and bonds extended gains on optimism the Middle East conflict that jolted global markets and disrupted energy supplies may be nearing a conclusion.

Treasuries bounced after a slide fueled by concerns over the economic fallout of the war in Iran, with traders resuming bets on a rate cut in 2026 as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell eased fears about any imminent impacts of higher energy prices on inflation. The bond market trimmed what’s expected to be its worst monthly selloff since 2024 as Powell said longer-term inflation expectations appear to be in check, with traders erasing wagers on a rate hike. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% as a rout in chipmakers offset gains in most major groups. US oil topped $100. Equity-index futures rose and oil erased gains after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump told aides he’s willing to end the US military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed

Wall Street traders drove stocks to their longest weekly slide since 2022 on concern that a protracted war in Iran will keep oil prices elevated, fueling an increase in inflation and a slowdown in growth. Equity losses accelerated into the close, with the S&P 500 dropping 1.7%. The Nasdaq 100 fell into a correction, sliding over 10% from its peak. Brent topped $112. Short-dated Treasuries outperformed longer maturities. The yen weakened to 160 for the firsttime since 2024, raising intervention risks. Stocks extended a selloff and oil rose as Iran-backed Houthi forces entered the Middle-East conflict and an expanded US military presence raised concerns about a prolonged confrontation. Government bonds advanced.

Stocks and bonds rose while oil fell as traders weighing the viability of US-Iran ceasefire talks sent markets to a series of swings. The S&P 500 advanced for a second time this week as US efforts to end the war gathered pace, eclipsing news that Iran rejected a truce proposal and maintained its military strikes. Brent settled around $102 a barrel. Treasuries pared their March losses. Gold climbed Stocks and bonds both edged lower and oil climbed as persistent Middle-East tensions and conflicting signals from the US and Iran about their ceasefire talks sapped risk sentiment. Asian shares fell 1%, snapping a two-day gain, as elevated energy costs threatened to stoke inflation and crimp economic growth. Technology shares also sold off after a breakthrough touted by Google researchers.

Wall Street traders grappling with a range of possible outcomes for the war in Iran drove stocks away from session lows amid hopes for talks to end a conflict that kept dragging on. Oil rose. Bonds fell. The S&P 500 pared a drop that earlier approached 1%. President Donald Trump signaled that Iran had offered a “present” as a show of good faith in negotiations, noting it was related to Strait of Hormuz flows.The US and regional mediators are discussing the possibility of holding high-level peace talks as soon as Thursday, but await a response from Tehran, Axios reported. Equities rallied and oil dropped as US diplomatic efforts fueled cautious optimism that the Middle East conflict may begin to ease, tempering concerns over prolonged disruption.