US equity indexes were mixed, as technology helped push the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite to new peaks amid declining government bond yields and divergent crude oil futures.
The Nasdaq jumped 1.2% to 26,656.18, with the S&P 500 up 0.6% to 7,519.12 at the close on Tuesday. Both the gauges hit fresh all-time highs earlier in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, slipped 0.2% to 50,461.68.
Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 8.1 basis points to 4.49% and the two-year down 8.7 basis points to 4.04%.
Micron Technology's (MU) market capitalization touched $1 trillion for the first time after several bullish analyst reports. The chipmaker's shares soared 19% after midday, the top performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.
Among stocks with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, nine in the top 10 are semiconductor companies, and the remaining one is a manufacturer of computer hardware, according to data compiled by Finviz.
The US is touting progress toward a peace deal with Iran to end the nearly three-month war, even amid fresh hostilities and uncertainty over the vital Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Security in the crucial energy waterway remained unclear Tuesday after the two sides exchanged strikes overnight, and the US Central Command pushed back reports suggesting the military was helping escort vessels.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, was in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal, an official briefed on the visit told Reuters. Qalibaf returned to Iran after seeking agreement on the release of around $24 billion of frozen Iranian funds as part of the memorandum of understanding, the news report cited Iranian media.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 2.9% to $93.70, while Brent crude futures jumped 3.5% to $99.67.
While precise timing remains elusive, in the event of an Iran peace agreement, two to four weeks is a reasonable starting point for clearing the Gulf backlog and restoring shipping patterns, Vikas Dwivedi, global energy strategist at Macquarie Group, said in a note.
"Trust in a durable peace and unencumbered (tolls, mines, harassment) transit will be key in this process," Dwivedi said. "From here, we believe flows could ramp back towards full levels after another 2-4 weeks."
In economic news, the Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence fell to 93.1 in May from 93.8 in April, still above the 92.0 expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.
"Consumer confidence edged downward in May as the inflationary impacts of the war in the Middle East intensified," said Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board.
"Consumer appraisals of current business conditions and the current labor market were moderately less positive compared to last month," Peterson said. "This was somewhat offset by modest improvements in consumers' expectations for business conditions and the labor market six months from now."
The Case-Shiller National Home Price Index rose by 0.7% in March, before seasonal adjustments, following a 0.3% increase in February. National home prices were up 0.7% year-over-year, down from 0.8% in February.
In precious metals, gold futures slipped 0.3% to $4,506.8, while silver futures jumped 1.4% to $77.28.