Equities Fall Intraday, Oil Jumps Amid Renewed Middle East Tensions
US benchmark equity indexes were lower intraday, while oil prices rose amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East.The Nasdaq Composite was down 1% at 26,816.5 after midday Wednesday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9% to 50,858.1. The S&P 500 shed 0.6% to 7,562.9. The indexes logged fresh closing highs in the previous session.Among sectors, technology and consumer discretionary saw the biggest decline intraday Wednesday, while energy paced the gainers.Several major tech names were falling sharply, with IBM (IBM) down 6.1%, the steepest decline on the Dow. Salesforce (CRM), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nvidia (NVDA) followed IBM on the index.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 2.6% at $96.17 a barrel, while Brent rose 2.1% to $98.04."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.A barrage of ballistic missiles and drones hit Kuwait Wednesday, shutting its international airport, killing one person and injuring dozens, The Wall Street Journal reported.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."For now, the risk premium continues to be partly offset by President Trump's repeated insistence that an interim agreement remains within reach," Saxo said.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."The combination of resilient demand and intensifying cost pressures reinforces the risk of ongoing price pass-through, suggesting that the (Federal Reserve) is likely to remain patient on policy easing given limited progress on services disinflation and increasing the likelihood of rate hikes this year," TD Economics said in a note.US Treasury yields were higher intraday, with the 10-year rate up 3.8 basis points at 4.49%, and the two-year rate rising 3.3 basis points to 4.08%.In company news, Medtronic (MDT) reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, while the medical-device maker projected earnings and organic revenue growth for the current year. The company's shares were up 5.1%, among the best performers on the S&P 500.Broadcom (AVGO), CrowdStrike (CRWD), Veeva Systems (VEEV) and Five Below (FIVE) are expected to report after the closing bell Wednesday, along with others.Gold was down 1.2% at $4,465.10 per troy ounce, while silver fell 2.6% to $73.58 per ounce.
