PrintTRADING DAY-S&P 500, Nasdaq nab all-time closing highs, buoyed by Middle East optimism
BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 05:00 PM EDTBy Stephen Culp
NEW YORK, April 15 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both logged record closing highs on Wednesday as investors assessed developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict and turned their focus to corporate earnings. And before you read on, don't forget to sign up for Jamie McGeever's upcoming LSEG webinar on April 23, where he'll talk about safe havens in uncertain times with his ROI colleague Mike Dolan.
Here are a few articles I recommend to help you make sense of what happened in markets today.
1. U.S. President Donald Trump said the war on Iran was nearing its conclusion amid a diplomatic push to continue peace talks
2. The International Monetary Fund cautioned countries against implementing broad fuel subsidies to cope with war-related energy shock
3. Bank of America beat first-quarter profit estimates as market volatility boosted trading revenue to a record
4. Morgan Stanley, benefiting from a surge in dealmaking and record equities trading revenue, also beat first-quarter profit expectations
5. Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said that while she sees no immediate need for the Fed to change its target rate, rate cuts or even hikes are possible down the road
Today's Key Market Moves
* STOCKS: Tech shares boosted the Nasdaq and helped boost the S&P 500 to a record closing high, while European shares dipped as investors gauged Middle East developments, earnings
* SECTORS/SHARES: Of the 11 major sectors in the S&P 500, four ended green, led by tech shares. The S&P 500 Software & Services index, having suffered a months-long period of weakness on AI disruption fears, was a clear outperformer, rising 4.3%
* FX: The dollar was essentially flat on a range-bound day
* BONDS: Benchmark Treasury yields rose as investors weighed Trump's assurances that the war could end soon
* COMMODITIES/METALS: U.S. WTI crude settled essentially flat and Brent settled slightly higher, while gold drifted lower as investors assessed the latest signals from the U.S.-Iran situation
Today's Talking Points
* S&P 500, Nasdaq reached their first record closing highs since the U.S.-Iran conflict began
Hopes of de-escalation and robust earnings expectations pushed the indexes to all-time closing highs, reassuring investors that a bull market remains intact.
Reaching those records during an active geopolitical crisis signified a shift in market positioning as traders appeared more willing to price in less severe escalation risks in the near term.
* Shares of Allbirds soared 582.3% after announcing a move from footwear to AI computing infrastructure
In an unusual pivot, the San Francisco-based company said it would execute a $50 million convertible financing agreement with an institutional investor, the proceeds of which will be used to acquire graphics processing units (GPUs).
* Trump threatens to fire Powell if he doesn't quit Fed board
Trump has threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from his separate seat on the central bank's Board of Governors if he does not relinquish the post when his term as Fed chief ends on May 15.
The administration's threats against Powell, including an ongoing criminal investigation, could delay Senate confirmation of Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick to succeed Powell.
What could move markets tomorrow?
* Developments in the Middle East
* Energy market moves
* Social media posts from Trump
* U.S. weekly jobless claims
* U.S. industrial output (March)
* UK GDP (February)
* UK industrial output (February)
* Euro zone consumer prices (March)
* Austria, Italy, Poland, Croatia CPI (March)
* Federal Reserve policymakers slated to speak: New York Fed President John Williams, Fed Board Governor Stephen Miran
* Companies on deck to report first-quarter earnings
tomorrow include Netflix
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