(Updates with latest market prices and developments.)
US benchmark equity indexes were lower intraday, weighed down by post-earnings selloffs in Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Tesla (TSLA) shares, while a widening Middle East conflict sent Brent crude above $100 a barrel.
The Nasdaq Composite was down 2.1% at 25,160.8 after midday Thursday, while the S&P 500 fell 1.2% to 7,411.4. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.9% to 51,747.98. Among sectors, consumer discretionary and communication services saw the steepest declines, both shedding more than 4%, while industrials paced the gainers.
Alphabet's class A shares were down 6.3% intraday, the worst performer on the Dow, while its class C shares slumped 6.2%. Late Wednesday, the Google parent raised its 2026 capital expenditure guidance as it reported stronger-than-expected revenue for the second quarter amid a surge in the Google cloud segment's sales.
Tesla's stock slumped nearly 14% intraday, the steepest decline on the S&P 500. Late Wednesday, the electric vehicle manufacturer reported an unexpected year-over-year decline in its second-quarter earnings, weighed down by higher operating expenses.
Brent futures were trading 7.2% higher at $100.85 a barrel, after rising to as high as $101.20 earlier in the day. The global benchmark crossed the $100 level for the first time since May. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 6.8% to $92.74.
US gas prices hit an average $4.091 per gallon on Thursday, up from $3.943 a week ago, according to data from AAA, a travel organization that tracks fuel prices in the country.
The Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen reportedly claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump threatened "major military punishment" against Iran if its Houthi proxy continues attacking ships, according to his social media post on Thursday. The US Central Command said Wednesday it struck Iran for the 12th consecutive night.
Treasury yields were higher intraday, with the two-year rate rising 5.3 basis points to 4.36% and the 10-year rate rising 4.2 basis points to 4.7%.
"Rising oil prices have revived talk of a (Federal Reserve) rate hike, with rates markets now beginning to treat next week's (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting as a live decision after the 10-year yield pushed back toward its year-to-date high," Saxo Bank said in a report Thursday.
The probability that the Fed will leave its benchmark lending rate unchanged next week fell to 64% Thursday from 88% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The odds of a quarter-percentage-point increase rose about 36% from 12%.
Elsewhere in the corporate sector, RTX (RTX) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) raised their full-year guidance after both defense contractors reported second-quarter results above Wall Street's expectations. Lockheed was up 9.1% intraday, while RTX advanced 7.2%, both among the biggest gainers on the S&P 500.
Gold fell 2.4% to $4,053.90 per troy ounce, while silver lost 3.7% to $58.10 per ounce.
