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Update: US Equity Indexes Decline as Fading Hopes for Quick Hormuz Reopening Lift Crude Oil, Treasury Yields

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(Updates with index/price moves and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes slipped as government bond yields and crude oil jumped after President Donald Trump's rhetorical call for Iran to pay compensation dimmed hopes for a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas outflows.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3% to 26,605.36, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 53,975.98 on Monday. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% to 7,753.11.

Energy and healthcare led the gainers while real estate and utilities were among the steepest decliners.

Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman to define new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz, but reiterated that the US must meet other conditions -- compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats -- before the critical waterway is reopened, Reuters reported.

The US must lift its blockade of ports before Tehran agrees to fully reopen Hormuz, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday, according to CNBC. "As long as the US naval blockade continues, the necessary conditions for the reopening of Hormuz do not exist," Baghaei was cited as saying to Iran's news agency, Tasnim.

"I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous..." President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post. "Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years..."

The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract jumped 5.2% to $82.22 a barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 5% to $87.76 a barrel, reflecting concern that Iran and the US are not getting closer to resolving the war.

Shares of Chevron (CVX) were up 4.5%, the biggest gainer on the Dow.

US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year yield up 4.5 basis points to 4.7% and the two-year climbing 3.7 basis points to 4.24%.

Gold futures rose 1.1% to $4,448.9, and silver futures jumped 3.8% to $65.92.

In company news, Apple (AAPL) has enabled eligible Mac users in mainland China to connect Alibaba's (BABA) Qwen artificial intelligence service to Siri and Writing Tools, Reuters reported Friday. The arrangement gives Apple a locally developed AI option for Mac users in China, the report said.

Jefferies downgraded Apple to underperform from hold while adjusting its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. Shares of Apple dropped 1.5%, one of the worst performers on the Dow.

S&P 500 companies' quarterly earnings growth rate eased from a week ago as the healthcare sector's results weighed, Oppenheimer Asset Management said, adding that results overall remain "strong." Some 89% of the companies in the benchmark index have reported results, with earnings up by about 51% year over year, compared with 57% growth a week ago.

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US equity indexes jumped this week amid gains in technology heavyweights and growing expectations of a deal between Iran and Oman that will pave the way for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global crude oil and natural gas flows.* The S&P 500 closed at 7,757.64 on Friday versus 7,494.08 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at 26,690.62, compared with 25,367.02 a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 54,036.93, versus 52,535.02 at the end of last week.* Basic materials, technology, and industrials led gainers this week, while energy was the steepest decliner.* Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, nine of the top 10 outperformers this week were from the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. The top gainer in this category was Palantir (PLTR) after Q2 sales and adjusted earnings surpassed analysts' estimates and the company boosted its full-year 2026 revenue outlook.* Nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, marking the first decline since February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. The consensus was for an 80,000 increase in July, according to a Bloomberg-compiled survey.* The probability of the Federal Reserve keeping its target rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75% in September surged to 56% on Friday from 45% a day ago and 33% a week ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.* Iranian lawmakers debated the wording of a proposed deal with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier this week that an understanding with Oman had been reached "in principle," and state TV cited one lawmaker on Friday as saying the final text and details of an agreement with Muscat will be announced "soon."* The front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded at $76.85 late Friday, down from roughly $84.67 a week ago.

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