US equity indexes were mixed in midday trading on Thursday after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, removing an obstacle to diplomacy in the Middle East for extending the Iran truce deal.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1% to 24,046.2, with the S&P 500 up less than 0.1% to 7,024.3, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average steady at 48,454.77. All three gauges traded higher earlier in the session. Energy and technology led the gainers. Health care was the worst performer.
President Donald Trump said Thursday on Truth Social that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting 5 pm ET. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he welcomed the announcement. Following the announcement of a two-week truce between Iran and the US on April 7, Israel continued bombing Iranian proxy groups in Lebanon - a move that Tehran saw as a violation of the ceasefire agreement with the US.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir are meeting in Tehran on Thursday to discuss messages between Tehran and Washington, according to a report from CNN. The White House has expressed optimism about reaching a deal, saying the second round of talks would likely be held in Pakistan.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the naval blockade of Iran is an example of "polite" behavior during the ongoing ceasefire, and US forces are ready to strike power plants and the energy industry in the country, if ordered, according to a report from Reuters.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 3.6% to $94.61, and Brent crude futures jumped 4.8% to $99.52.
In precious metals, gold futures fell 0.2%% to $4,812.20 and silver futures declined 1.2% to $78.71.
US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 3.4 basis points to 4.31%.
In company news, Charles Schwab (SCHW) shares dropped 5.8% intraday, among the steepest decliners in the SP 500, after the company reported Q1 net revenue below analysts' expectations.
Boeing (BA) is ramping up its hiring, reaching about 100 to 140 factory workers a week, in a bid to replace retiring workers and support increasing production rates, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an interview with a union leader. Shares of the aircraft manufacturer dropped 3% intraday, the Dow's worst performer.
In economic news, US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 207,000 in the week ended April 11 from a downwardly revised 218,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a smaller decrease to 213,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.
US industrial production fell by 0.5% in March, compared with expectations for a 0.1% increase in a Bloomberg-compiled survey, and following an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in February.
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's monthly manufacturing index rose further to 26.7 in April after increasing to 18.1 in March, compared with expectations for a decline to a reading of 10 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
The New York Federal Reserve's services index improved to minus 14.0 in April from minus 22.6 in March, compared with a smaller expected increase to a reading of minus 20.0 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The index is the first services sector reading for April and suggests a slower pace of contraction.