US Equity Indexes Mixed as Treasury Yields Soar After Choked Hormuz Beats IEA Record Reserve Release

05:38 PM EDT, 03/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes closed mixed on Wednesday, as government bond yields surged with the dollar after Israel-Iran fighting intensified, outweighing a planned record release of crude oil reserves by the International Energy Agency.

The Nasdaq Composite rose less than 0.1% to 22,716.14, while the S&P 500 fell by almost 0.1% to 6,775.80 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.6% to 47,417.27. Energy and technology rose while the communication services sector was little changed at the close. Consumer staples and real estate led the decliners.

Three commercial ships were struck near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as Iran stepped up its efforts to halt traffic, the Wall Street Journal reported. The US military has turned down requests to escort tankers or other civilian ships through the strait. The head of US Central Command said its focus remains on degrading Iran's ability to interrupt shipping.

"We have missiles that are launched from underwater, and their speed is 100 meters (328 feet) per second. We may use them in the coming days," Iranian official media quoted Ali Fadavi, a senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, as saying, according to a CNN report.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures jumped 5.9% to $88.40, after trading lower earlier in the session.

US Treasury yields were higher, with the 10-year yield soaring 9.2 basis points to 4.23%, clawing back all of its intraday declines. The two-year yield surged 8.4 basis points to 3.65%.

The ICE US Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the greenback against a basket of the world's major currencies, climbed 0.4% to 99.25.

The International Energy Agency's 32 member countries agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves to combat supply disruptions stemming from the war in Iran, the IEA said Wednesday.

The US seasonally adjusted consumer price index rose 0.3% in February, as expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey and following a 0.2% increase in January, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core CPI rose 0.2%, as expected, but below the 0.3% gain in January.

The year-over-year rates for headline and core CPI were unchanged from the previous 2.4% and 2.5% rates, respectively, in line with estimates in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

In precious metals, gold futures dropped 1.2% to $5,179.10 per troy ounce, and silver futures slumped 4.5% to $85.54 per troy ounce.

In company news, Oracle (ORCL) reported higher fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings and revenue, exceeding analysts' expectations. Its shares rose 9.2%, the second-biggest gainer on the S&P 500.

Campbell's (CPB) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue below analysts' forecasts. Shares dropped 7.1%, among the steepest decliners on the S&P 500.

MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.