Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise on Iran peace prospects

LIVE Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise on Iran peace prospects Rian Howlett and Grace O'Donnell Updated Tue, May 26, 2026 at 3:34 PM GMT+2 1 min read US stocks rose on Monday morning as investors welcomed easing oil prices and growing optimism that tensions between Washington and Tehran could cool in the coming days . The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) climbed 0. 3%, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) rose 0.

5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) led gains, rising 0. 8% after regular trading was paused on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.

Investor sentiment improved after President Trump said negotiations with Iran were “moving along well, ” signaling that diplomatic efforts may still prevent further escalation in the conflict. Trump also cautioned that the US remained prepared to act militarily should talks collapse. Stocks remained higher after the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with the US saying it conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

firing at a US aircraft and drones. Oil markets reacted swiftly . West Texas Intermediate ( CL=F ) crude futures fell 3% to $92 per barrel, extending the recent pullback in energy prices.

Brent ( BZ=F ) crude fell by roughly 4% to trade at $96 per barrel. Lower crude prices also helped fuel last week’s rally. US oil fell 8.

4% over the period, its steepest weekly decline since mid-April . Still, elevated energy costs have complicated expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. According to CME Group’s FedWatch tool , traders are now pricing in an 8.

5% chance of a Fed rate hike in July, up sharply from just 0. 9% one month ago. LIVE 7 updates 10 mins ago Jared Blikre Micron opens at a record as UBS sees it becoming a $1.

8 trillion AI giant The chip rally is starting the week with fresh momentum. Micron ( MU ) opened at a record intraday high Tuesday, leading chips higher after UBS more than tripled its price target on the memory-chip maker to a Street-high $1,625. UBS is not just raising numbers.

It’s arguing that AI has changed how investors should value Micron. The stock surged over 10% in early trading, notching its 30th intraday all-time high of the year, while the PHLX Semiconductor Index ( ^SOX ) also hit an intraday record after the opening bell. A $1,625 target implies roughly 115% upside from Friday’s close and a market cap near $1.

8 trillion, according to Bloomberg — enough to make Micron the seventh-biggest US company, ahead of Tesla ( TSLA ), Meta ( META ), and Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A , BRK-B ). The move spread across chip stocks, with Marvell ( MRVL ), AMD ( AMD ), Lam Research ( LRCX ), Qualcomm ( QCOM ), and ON Semiconductor ( ON ) gaining early. Keep an eye on $800: Hold above it, and Micron’s breakout stays alive.

16 mins ago Grace O'Donnell Stocks open higher as oil, Treasury yields fall Stocks started the week higher after markets were closed on Monday for Memorial Day. Sentiment was buoyed by hopes of progress on a peace deal between the US and Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) climbed 0.

3% at Tuesday’s open, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) rose 0. 5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) led gains, rising 0.

8%. Oil prices whipsawed in early morning trading but held below $100 per barrel. Brent crude futures ( BZ=F ) fell 3% to $96 per barrel, while WTI crude futures ( CL=F ) declined 3.

8% to $92 per barrel. Gold ( GC=F ) was roughly flat, while bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) edged down to $76,725. The 10-year Treasury yield ( ^TNX ) fell 7 basis points to 4.

47%. 38 mins ago Claire Boston Home price growth continues to slow, a small relief for spring buyers Home price growth is continuing to slow as high prices and elevated mortgage rates slow buying and selling activity. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index, which measures home prices in 20 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, rose 0.

83% in March from a year earlier, according to new data, down from a 0. 9% annual increase in February. Home prices are now falling in over half the country.

Prices in Seattle saw the steepest year-over-year drop at 2. 5%, followed by Denver, Tampa, Dallas, and Phoenix. Housing markets in the Northeast and the Midwest are comparably stronger.

Prices are up 6. 1% year-over-year in Chicago, 4% in New York, and 3% in Cleveland. On a monthly basis, home prices fell from February to March, “confirming that demand remains soft as we head into spring,” Nicholas Godec, head of fixed income tradables and commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement.

39 mins ago Grace O'Donnell There are now more ETFs than stocks in US markets ETF launches are taking off. As Apollo’s chief economist Torsten Sløk pointed out in a new chart on Tuesday, the number of exchange-traded funds is now higher than the total number of US publicly listed companies. (Disclosure: Yahoo is a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management.

) “The number of publicly listed companies keeps declining, and there are now more ways to trade the market than there are stocks in the market,” Sløk said in a note. (Credit: Torsten Sløk, Apollo Global) The number of ETFs has doubled since 2020, according to JPMorgan. New strategy launches really took off after the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2019 ETF rule change, which made it easier for issuers to bring new ETFs to market.

In April, Morningstar reported that US ETF flows hit $167. 2 billion, nearly three times the amount of inflows a year ago, spurred by a rally in semiconductor and growth stocks. Today at 12:23 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell AutoZone stock falls premarket as revenue disappoints AutoZone ( AZO ) stock fell 5% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the auto retailer’s first quarter revenue fell short of analyst estimates.

AutoZone reported earnings of $38. 07 for the quarter, which surpassed Wall Street’s estimates of $36. 22.

But revenue of $4. 84 billion missed estimates of $4. 86 billion.

“Domestically, both DIY and Commercial sales grew impressively this past quarter, while our international sales, in constant currency, continued to be challenged as both Mexico and Brazil performed similarly to last quarter,” CEO Phil Daniele said. “While international performance has been below our plan, we believe our market share continues to grow as we outpace our competition in both international marketplaces. ” Today at 11:31 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Oil prices rebound but still pace for losses as US and Iran clash Oil prices pared some of their deeper losses on Tuesday morning after the US and Iran clashed near the Strait of Hormuz but still kept up appearances of progress on a peace deal.

Bloomberg reports: The strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump reiterated that negotiations with Tehran to extend their ceasefire and reopen the strait were proceeding, and just before Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei published a statement warning that the “nations and lands of the region will no longer be a shield for American bases. ” There’s “a lot of talking back and forth” about “specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in India on Tuesday morning. The US military said it conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile-launch sites and boats attempting to lay mines, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired at an F-35 fighter jet and several drones after they entered Iranian airspace.

The IRGC claimed it shot down an unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone and forced the other aircraft to flee. Several Iranian personnel were killed in the attacks on vessels near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s state-run Nour News reported, without providing further details. Israel’s military said it wasn’t part of the US operation.

Read more here. Today at 11:20 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell What to watch on Tuesday and in the week ahead Traders returned from the Memorial Day holiday with some optimism as the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) ended last week above the 7,500 mark. This week, markets have some semiconductor and retailer earnings to look forward to, as well as the Conference Board's consumer confidence reading on Tuesday and the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, on Thursday.

Here’s today’s economic data and earnings calendar: Tuesday: ADP weekly employment change, week ended May 9 (42,250 previously); Chicago Fed national activity index, April (-0. 2 previously); Philadelphia Fed non-manufacturing activity, May (-16. 5 previously); FHFA housing price index, month-on-month, March (0.

0% previously); Conference Board consumer confidence, May (92. 5 expected, 92. 8 previously); Conference Board present situation (123.

8 previously); Conference Board expectations, May (72. 2 previously); Dallas Fed manufacturing activity, May (-2.