Good afternoon and welcome to Markets Desk.
Equity markets are holding modest gains this session, with the S&P five hundred up about a tenth of a percent and the Dow adding roughly two tenths. The support is coming largely from weakness in energy prices, as falling crude reduces input cost pressures across the broader economy and gives investors room to breathe.
On that front, West Texas Intermediate dropped more than one percent today after President Trump signaled that diplomatic talks with Iran would continue. Crude had initially spiked on reports of Iranian threats, but once the de-escalation headline crossed, the geopolitical risk premium unwound quickly, sending both oil and gasoline futures sharply lower.
Elsewhere, SK Hynix made a striking debut on the Nasdaq today, with the South Korean memory chipmaker's US-listed shares surging as high as one hundred seventy five dollars against a pricing of one hundred forty nine. The move reflects sustained investor appetite for semiconductor exposure, particularly as AI-driven demand for advanced memory chips continues to reshape the hardware landscape globally.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
