US equity indexes ended higher Tuesday amid gains in technology stocks following recent earnings reports and as crude oil prices dropped further after Iran confirmed talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
* Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and Oman are continuing talks aimed at ensuring the safe flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. Qatar said a proposal had been drafted and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sounded hopeful on a US-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait, Bloomberg reported.
* US job openings fell to 7.359 million in June according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, below the 7.454 million openings expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg
* New orders for US factory goods fell by 0.3% in June, versus expectations for a 0.2% increase in a Bloomberg-compiled survey and a revised 1.1% decrease in May.
* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $4.51 to settle at $75.83 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $4.38 at $79.39.
* Palantir Technologies (PLTR) stock was up nearly 30%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after higher Q2 results surpassed analysts' estimates and the company raised its full-year 2026 revenue outlook.
* Aptiv (APTV) shares were down nearly 17%, the worst performer on the S&P 500, after Q2 sales missed consensus and the company also cut its full-year 2026 outlook.