-- US equity indexes closed mixed on Wednesday as strong gains in growth sectors pushed the S&P 500 to an all-time high amid speculation that the two-week Iran ceasefire could be extended to find a lasting peace agreement.
The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.6% to 24,016.02. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 7,022.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, slipped 0.2% to 48,463.72.
The US and Iran are considering extending their two-week ceasefire to negotiate a peace deal, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Mediators are seeking technical talks to overcome the most contentious issues -- the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program -- preventing an agreement that would extend beyond next week, when an initial truce will expire, the person told Bloomberg.
The CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the fear index, fell 1% to 18.17.
Trump said the war with Iran was close to over, telling the world to brace for an "amazing two days," as the army chief of mediator Pakistan arrived in Tehran in a bid to prevent a renewed conflict, Reuters reported. Pakistan's military confirmed Field Marshal Asim Munir had arrived in Tehran, the news report said. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, was heading to Iran "to narrow gaps" between the two sides.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 0.2% to $91.06, and Brent crude futures were little changed at $94.84. Both the WTI and Brent futures were up as much as 1% earlier in the session.
Technology, consumer discretionary, communication services, and financials led gainers in the final leg of trading. Industrials and materials were among the decliners. Except for Amazon.com (AMZN), all the other Magnificent-7 stocks ended higher. Tesla (TSLA) led the pack, with a gain of 7.6%.
Tesla has completed the tape-out of its AI5 chip and is advancing development of AI6 and Dojo3, CEO Elon Musk said on X on Wednesday. Tape-out marks the final design stage before a chip is sent to manufacturing.
Morgan Stanley (MS) posted stronger-than-expected Q1 results as sharp gains in investment banking and trading activity helped boost revenue to a record.
In economic news, the New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rebounded to 11.0 in April from minus 0.2 in March, above the expectations for a 0.0 print in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The Empire State index is the first manufacturing sector reading for April and suggests a return to expansion.
Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 2.3 basis points to 4.28% and the two-year higher by one basis point to 3.76%.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index fell to 34 in April, its lowest since September 2025, from a revised 38 in March, compared with the 37 forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.
In precious metals, gold futures fell 0.7%% to $4,816.1 and silver futures declined 0.3% to $79.32.