Asia Markets
US Equity Indexes Rise, Crude Oil Slides As Iran Ceasefire Stays Intact
US equity indexes rose after midday Tuesday as crude oil futures slumped after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire agreement with Iran remains in force.The Nasdaq Composite was 0.9% higher at 25,304.2, after touching a record 25,335.40 intraday. The S&P 500 climbed up 0.8% to 7,258.5, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.6% to 49,225.1.All sectors except financials and communication services rose. Materials, technology, and industrials led the gainers.At a Pentagon briefing Tuesday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran's military actions didn't rise to the level of restarting the war, according to The Wall Street Journal.Hegseth, speaking at the same press conference, promised to press ahead with opening the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for about a fifth of global crude oil flows.The statements follow Tehran's strikes in Hormuz and the United Arab Emirates amid rising tensions on Monday, fueling concern that the ceasefire was at risk.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 4.2% to $102.23, and Brent crude futures slumped 3.8% to $110.61.US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 2.8 basis points to 4.42%, retreating from its highest level in about a month. Two-year yield slid 2.4 basis points to 3.94%.In precious metals, gold futures climbed 0.8% to $4,571.8, and silver futures rose 0.1% to $73.56.In economic news, US job openings fell to 6.866 million in March from 6.922 million in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, versus the 6.850 million expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The March level represents 4.1% of total employment, down from 4.2% in February and a year ago.The Institute for Supply Management's US services index declined to 53.6 in April from 54.0 in March, versus expectations for 53.7 in a Bloomberg survey.In company news, Intel (INTC) shares soared 14%, the top performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after Bloomberg reported that Apple (AAPL) has held early discussions with the company and Samsung Electronics on producing key device processors in the US.Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shares were down 11%, the steepest decline on the S&P 500, following its Q1 results.Shopify (SHOP) reported a Q2 revenue outlook that implied a sequential slowdown in annual growth. Its shares tumbled 14%, the worst performer on the Nasdaq.
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