(Sharecast News) – Stock markets in the United States experienced an uptick on Thursday, as both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq marked their seventh consecutive day of ascension, buoyed by optimism surrounding a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran. However, this optimism exhibited signs of fragility.
Market participants meticulously scrutinized a series of pivotal economic data releases, revealing that inflation aligned with forecasts while economic growth for the fourth quarter of 2025 decelerated more than initially anticipated.
The Dow and S&P 500 concluded the trading day with gains of 0.6%, while the Nasdaq increased by 0.8%, prolonging gains after all three indices surged previously to their highest points in five weeks.
Notably, the Dow recorded its most impressive single-day performance since April 2025 on Wednesday.
Yet, the prevailing sentiment turned decidedly cautious following the prior day’s relief rally, as Iranian officials announced the ceasefire had been breached by Israel amid its most severe onslaught against Lebanon since the conflict’s inception.
Reports indicated that Israel targeted 100 sites within a span of 10 minutes, resulting in 203 fatalities and over 1,000 injuries, as reported by the Health Ministry.
In a development reported before market close, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed a desire to initiate direct discussions with Lebanon “at the earliest opportunity.” He stated that these talks would “concentrate on disarming Hezbollah and fostering peaceful relations” between the two nations.
Despite the increasingly tenuous nature of the ceasefire deal with Iran, positive sentiment on Wall Street was further bolstered by comments from former President Donald Trump, who expressed being “very optimistic” about the imminent prospects for a peace agreement.
After a precipitous drop—the steepest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic—oil prices made a partial recovery on Thursday. Prior to this, Brent crude and WTI had plummeted 13% and 16%, respectively. By early evening, Brent had settled at $95.92 per barrel, up 1.2%, while WTI rose 3.7% to $97.87.
“Oil’s retreat below the $100 mark appears destined to reverse, posing a potential threat to equity markets facing fresh declines,” stated Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG.
Economic Data
In terms of economic indicators, the US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 0.4% month-over-month in February, following a 0.3% increase in January, aligning with expectations. Meanwhile, annual PCE growth remained steady at 2.8%.
Real GDP advanced at an annualized rate of 0.5% in the fourth quarter, a sharp decline from the previous 4.4% growth observed in the third quarter. This latest estimate reflects a downward revision of 0.2 percentage points from prior evaluations, attributable to waning investments.
Jobless claims in the US surged by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted figure of 219,000 in the week ending April 4, surpassing predictions of 210,000.
Finally, US wholesale inventories increased by 0.8% to $919.6 billion in February, representing the most significant rise since January 2025, following a downwardly adjusted 0.3% decrease in January.
Software Sector Declines
The software sector faced significant pressure, with Intuit, Gen Digital, Autodesk, Adobe, and Workday all experiencing substantial losses amid speculation that Anthropic’s latest AI model might disrupt the industry more than previously envisioned.
The creator of Claude AI reported an impressive revenue run rate now exceeding $30 billion, up from $9 billion at the close of 2025.
Meta Platforms saw a robust increase following the announcement of a $21 billion partnership with CoreWeave, as the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp continues to bolster its AI infrastructure.
The agreement stipulates that CoreWeave will supply AI cloud capacity to Meta until December 2032, commencing in 2027. This builds upon a prior $14 billion contract between the two firms, finalized in September, which extends until 2031.
Meanwhile, shares of Intel gained ground after news of an expanded collaboration with Alphabet’s Google, under which the semiconductor powerhouse will supply central processing units for the tech giant’s AI data centers.
Dow Jones – Notable Risers
- Intel Corp. (INTC) – $61.72 (10.69%)
- Amgen Inc. (AMGN) – $355.60 (3.81%)
- Nike Inc. (NKE) – $44.00 (2.02%)
- Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) – $787.07 (2.01%)
- Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) – $83.17 (1.86%)
- Apple Inc. (AAPL) – $260.49 (1.26%)
- Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) – $146.66 (1.21%)
- Coca-Cola Co. (KO) – $78.18 (1.15%)
- Boeing Co. (BA) – $220.06 (1.04%)
- Home Depot Inc. (HD) – $339.58 (1.02%)
Dow Jones – Notable Fallers
- Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) – $38.04 (-3.16%)
- Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) – $170.85 (-3.13%)
- Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) – $373.07 (-2.02%)
- International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) – $237.18 (-1.89%)
- Chevron Corp. (CVX) – $190.36 (-1.31%)
- Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) – $47.78 (-0.54%)
- Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) – $122.68 (-0.41%)
- Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) – $903.72 (-0.22%)
- Visa Inc. (V) – $308.29 (-0.22%)
- DowDupont Inc. (DWDP) – $0.00 (0.00%)
S&P 500 – Notable Risers
- Brown Forman Corp. Class B (BF.B) – $30.31 (12.89%)
- Intel Corp. (INTC) – $61.72 (10.69%)
- Constellation Brands Inc. Class A (STZ) – $163.07 (8.47%)
- Sba Communications Corp. (SBAC) – $218.46 (6.30%)
- Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG) – $22.66 (6.24%)
- CenturyLink Inc. (LUMN) – $7.48 (5.50%)
- Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) – $233.65 (5.16%)
- Under Armour Inc. Class A (UAA) – $6.27 (4.67%)
- Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) – $258.76 (4.55%)
- Diamondback Energy Inc. (FANG) – $186.31 (4.54%)
S&P 500 – Notable Fallers
- Intuit Inc. (INTU) – $361.69 (-10.42%)
- Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) – $18.37 (-7.88%)
- Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) – $225.13 (-7.16%)
- Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) – $230.26 (-6.87%)
- Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) – $229.94 (-6.49%)
- Illumina Inc. (ILMN) – $123.67 (-6.27%)
- F5 Inc. (FFIV) – $294.59 (-6.12%)
- Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) – $109.61 (-6.02%)
- Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) – $102.60 (-5.92%)
- Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) – $169.41 (-5.88%)
Nasdaq 100 – Notable Risers
- Intel Corp. (INTC) – $61.72 (10.69%)
- Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) – $233.65 (5.16%)
- Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) – $258.76 (4.55%)
- Netflix Inc. (NFLX) – $102.05 (4.11%)
- Meta Platforms Inc. (META) – $628.39 (4.01%)
- Fastenal Co. (FAST) – $49.10 (3.98%)
- Amgen Inc. (AMGN) – $355.60 (3.81%)
- KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) – $1,727.26 (3.71%)
- Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) – $397.81 (3.50%)
- Texas Instruments Inc (TXN) – $214.98 (3.49%)
Nasdaq 100 – Notable Fallers
- Workday, Inc. (WDAY) – $113.06 (-11.97%)
- Intuit Inc. (INTU) – $361.69 (-10.42%)
- Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) – $18.37 (-7.88%)
- Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) – $225.13 (-7.16%)
- Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) – $230.26 (-6.87%)
- Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) – $229.94 (-6.49%)
- Illumina Inc. (ILMN) – $123.67 (-6.27%)
- Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) – $141.85 (-5.96%)
- Baidu Inc. (BIDU) – $108.23 (-5.95%)
- Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR) – $102.60 (-5.92%)
Source link: Lse.co.uk.
