US Markets
Wall Street Snaps Record Rally Amid Re-Escalation in Middle East Conflict
US equities snapped their record-setting rally on Wednesday as renewed hostilities in the Middle East lifted oil prices.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.9% to 26,854 and the S&P 500 declined 0.7% to 7,553.7, closing lower following a nine-day advance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.2% to 50,687.1. All indexes logged fresh record highs on Tuesday.Six of the 11 sectors ended in the red, led by technology, while energy paced the gainers.Several major tech names fell sharply, with IBM (IBM) down 7.2%, the steepest decline on the Dow. Salesforce (CRM) followed IBM on the index, shedding 5.1%. Nvidia (NVDA) declined 3.6%, among the worst performers on the Dow.ServiceNow (NOW) and Microsoft (MSFT) also logged declines.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 2.6% at $96.19 a barrel in Wednesday late-afternoon trade, while Brent rose 2.1% to $97.99."Crude oil is trading higher for a third consecutive session, with Brent pushing above $97 as market pessimism once again grows over the prospects of a US-Iran deal that could pave the way for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz," Saxo Bank said in a report.Iran launched strikes targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported. On Tuesday, the US Central Command said it conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East.US President Donald Trump reportedly said in a podcast with the New York Post that Iran has agreed not to have nuclear weapons, but Tehran could still change its mind. Previously, Trump said that negotiations with Iran were continuing, despite Iranian state-affiliated outlet Tasnim reporting that the country had suspended talks with Washington."Oil is up again as only Trump appears to believe that a 'deal' to end the war is in the works," said Derek Holt, head of capital markets economics at Scotiabank.In economic news, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development lowered its global economic growth projection for 2026, cautioning that the fallout from the Middle East conflict may linger for some time even after its resolution.In the US, employment in the private sector increased more than expected in May, ADP (ADP) data showed."The breadth of gains was encouraging, with almost all sectors increasing payrolls during the month," Oxford Economics said in a note. "Coupled with weak labor supply growth, the strong gains in payrolls would reduce the upside risk to the unemployment rate."Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are expected to show Friday that the US economy added 85,000 nonfarm jobs last month, which would represent a fall from a 115,000 increase reported for April, according to a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The unemployment rate is seen unchanged at 4.3%.The US services sector saw continued expansion in May, with Institute for Supply Management data showing a faster growth rate sequentially, but S&P Global (SPGI) pointing to a deceleration. Both surveys indicated elevated cost pressures and signs of weakness in the labor market.Most Federal Reserve districts saw slight to moderate growth in economic activity since mid-April, while consumer spending remained mixed, the US central bank said in its latest Beige Book released Wednesday."Higher-income households remained resilient and less sensitive to price increase, while middle-income households were described as 'squeezing more life out of every dollar before deciding to spend it,' and low-income consumers showed greater financial strain," according to the latest document, prepared by the Kansas City Fed based on data collected by May 27.US Treasury yields were higher, with the 10-year rate last up 4.6 basis points at 4.49%, and the two-year rate rising 3.8 basis points to 4.09%.Gold was last down 1% at $4,476.40 per troy ounce, while silver fell 2.5% to $73.65 per ounce.
Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ADP$CRM$IBM$MSFT$NOW$NVDA$SPGI
