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US Equity Markets End Lower After Trump Proposes Blockade of Iranian Ships, Toll on Strait of Hormuz

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US equity indexes closed lower Monday after President Donald Trump suggested a plan to reinstate a blockade on Iranian ships and charge a toll for providing security to cargo vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil prices higher.

* "We are reinstating the IRANIAN BLOCKADE," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday, following a weekend of attacks on Iran. He added that the US will protect vessels crossing the Strait and charge 20% of the cargo's cost as expense reimbursement.

* August West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose $6.23 to settle at $77.64 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $6.90 at $82.91.

* Valero Energy (VLO) stock was up 5.4%, and Phillips 66 (PSX) was 5.3% higher, among the top gainers on the S&P 500, after crude oil prices rose following clashes between the US and Iran.

* Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google is one of the biggest buyers of Nvidia's (NVDA) AI server chips, but it has also been expanding its in-house AI chip business in a move that could challenge Nvidia's dominance, The Information reported. Alphabet shares were down 1.3%, and Nvidia fell 3.5%, the worst performer on the Dow.

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US Equity Markets End Higher Amid Broad Rally, US-Iran Diplomatic Progress

US equity indexes closed higher Friday amid a broad-based rally after the US and Iran displayed progress in resolving the conflict diplomatically.* Talks between the US and Iran over a permanent peace deal are continuing, Bloomberg reported, citing an American official. The US is still committed to finding a diplomatic solution with Iran, the official told Bloomberg on Thursday.* Meanwhile, President Trump said Tehran and the US agreed to continue talks, but he communicated to Iran that the ceasefire is "over," Al Jazeera reported, citing a social media post from the president.* August West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.46 to settle at $71.62 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.22 at $76.08.* Meta Platforms (META) shares were up about 5.8%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after a Bloomberg report, citing CEO Mark Zuckerberg, said the company is considering renting out some of its artificial intelligence compute as demand for AI infrastructure surges.* Netflix (NFLX) is in early talks to buy film-focused social platform Letterboxd, which has been exploring a sale, Variety reported Friday, citing an earlier Puck report. Shares were down about 2.9%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500.

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Update: US Equity Indexes Rise as Diplomatic Engagements With Iran Send Crude Oil Lower

(Updates with index/price moves and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid a broad-based rally as crude oil extended declines after Washington replaced air strikes on Iran with diplomatic engagements.The Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.3% to 26,277.4, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.3% to 52,663.4 and the S&P 500 higher by 0.4% to 7,571.1 ahead of Friday's close. All but two sectors, healthcare and energy, climbed intraday. Materials led the gainers.The CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the fear gauge, dropped 3.5% to 15.26.Talks between the US and Iran over a permanent peace deal are continuing, Bloomberg reported, citing an American official. The US is still committed to finding a diplomatic solution with Iran, the official told Bloomberg on Thursday. The official described the ongoing discussions as technical talks.A diplomat told CNN that Qatari negotiators have traveled to Iran to meet officials there. Qatari mediators are in touch with US officials, including the special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Middle Eastern broadcaster Al Jazeera reported. US Vice President JD Vance is also involved in the talks, the Al Jazeera report said.Iran had asked to continue talks, and the US had agreed, but the June ceasefire is "over," President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent slipped 0.2% to $76.13 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate retreated 0.7% to $71.59 a barrel, extending declines from Thursday.In company news, SK Hynix (SKHY, SKHYV) jumped 13% after listing its American depositary receipts on Nasdaq, with trading volume exceeding 91 million.

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Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed in Midday Trading While Crude Oil Extends Declines

(Updates with index/price moves and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed on a data-light Friday, while crude oil fell as Washington said it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution for Iran.The Nasdaq Composite was little changed at 26,203.7 after midday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 52,609.9, and the S&P 500 edged up 0.1% to 7,553.7.All but three sectors, health care, technology, and real estate, advanced intraday. Materials led the gainers.Talks between the US and Iran over a permanent peace deal are continuing, Bloomberg reported, citing an American official, despite two days of clashes that threatened to shatter a ceasefire. The US is still committed to finding a diplomatic solution with Iran, the official told Bloomberg on Thursday. The official described the ongoing discussions as technical talks.The front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent retreated 0.9% to $75.59 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate dropped 1.3% to $71.14 a barrel, extending declines from Thursday.In company news, SK Hynix (SKHY, SKHYV) said Friday that it has listed its American depositary receipts on Nasdaq. The company said in a regulatory filing Friday that it is offering 177.9 million American depositary shares at $149 apiece, potentially raising total proceeds of $26.51 billion.

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