U.S. stocks held modest midday gains Thursday as tentative Lebanon–Israel diplomatic overtures introduced a fragile layer of optimism into an otherwise tense geopolitical backdrop.
• iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF stock is testing key support levels. What’s behind IGV weakness?
In a late-night post on Wednesday, President Donald Trump warned that all U.S. military assets would remain positioned near Iran “until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with,” underscoring the conditional nature of any de-escalation.
Tehran, meanwhile, accused Washington of breaching ceasefire terms and reiterated threats against vessels awaiting transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which remained shut — a stark reversal from Wednesday’s relief-driven rally that had sent equities higher while triggering a sharp unwind in energy prices and bond yields.
A fresh geopolitical development offered some relief. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Lebanon had requested direct talks, with Israel agreeing to engage. A senior Lebanese official signaled that negotiations would require U.S. guarantees and begin with a temporary ceasefire framework.
In commodities, WTI crude rose 3.8% to $98.01 per barrel, paring earlier gains after briefly reclaiming the $100 level.
Across U.S. equities, gains remained narrow but broadly distributed by midday, with consumer discretionary and industrials leading, while software and cloud names weighed on growth indices.
The S&P 500 climbed 50 points, or 0.7%, to 6,833. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 317 points, or 0.7%, to 48,227. The Nasdaq 100 gained 175 points, or 0.7%, to 25,078.
Gold rose 1.5% to $4,792 per ounce, supported by safe-haven demand, while Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) added 1.5% to $71,170.
Thursday’s Performance In Major U.S. Indices
| Index | Last | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 6,833 | +0.7% |
| Dow Jones | 48,227 | +0.7% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 25,078 | +0.7% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,637 | +0.6% |
According to the Benzinga Pro platform:
- The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO) gained 0.7%.
- The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) rose 0.7%.
- The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) advanced 0.7%.
- The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:IWM) climbed 0.6%.
Software Tumbles On AI Threats
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV) was a notable laggard, falling 4.29% as enterprise software and cloud names faced broad selling pressure.
Cloud and cybersecurity names sold off sharply following a BTIG downgrade of Zscaler Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) from Buy to Neutral. Cloudflare Inc. (NYSE:NET) fell more than 11% after an Evercore note warning Anthropic’s Claude Mythos model could structurally pressure the sector over time. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) fell 8.51% and Rubrik Inc. (NYSE:RBRK) shed 8.33%.
Among Magnificent Seven stocks, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) surged 5.6% after CEO Andy Jassy’s annual shareholder letter disclosed that AWS artificial intelligence services hit a $15 billion annual revenue run rate in the first quarter, while its custom chips business crossed $20 billion; Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $260 and maintained an Overweight rating
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s March meeting, released Thursday, showed a growing share of policymakers increasingly concerned that war-driven energy shocks could reignite inflationary pressures.
Thursday’s Russell 1000 Top Gainers
| Name | % change |
|---|---|
| Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE:BFA) | +11.42% |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE:INSP) | +7.56% |
| Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) | +7.10% |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) | +6.72% |
| Versingent PLC (NYSE:VGNT) | +5.83% |
Thursday’s Russell 1000 Top Losers
| Name | % change |
|---|---|
| Texas Pacific Land Corp. (NYSE:TPL) | -15.02% |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | -11.09% |
| Zscaler, Inc. | -9.15% |
| Snowflake Inc. | -8.51% |
| Rubrik, Inc. | -8.33% |
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