Good afternoon and welcome to Markets Desk.
Stocks settled mixed Thursday as the broader market clawed back from a chip-driven selloff. The S&P five hundred edged up a third of a percent, the Dow added over one percent, while the Nasdaq one hundred finished essentially flat, weighed down by lingering pressure in semiconductor names.
Crude oil told a sharper story. West Texas Intermediate jumped over three percent to a three-week high as escalating Middle East hostilities raised fresh concerns about supply disruption. Gasoline futures moved in the opposite direction, falling more than two percent, suggesting demand-side softness is pushing back against the geopolitical premium in crude.
Meanwhile, Netflix is reshuffling its creative leadership. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria is departing, and the streaming giant is bringing in Peter Rice, a veteran of Disney, to take the seat. The move signals Netflix is doubling down on high-level content strategy at a moment when the streaming wars remain intensely competitive and subscriber growth expectations stay elevated heading into year end.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
