Stock market news for April 2, 2026

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped Thursday in risky buying and selling as oil costs emerged following President donald trump‘s remarks that the Iran battle would proceed for weeks.

The blue-chip Dow declined 61.07 factors, or 0.13%, closing at 46,504.67. The S&P 500 superior 0.11% to finish at 6,582.69, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.18% to settle at 21,879.18.

The three main indexes ripped greater from their steep losses earlier within the day to briefly flip optimistic after Iranian state media stated that the Middle Eastern nation is working with Oman on a protocol to “monitor” ships passing via the Strait of Hormuz. At their lows, the Dow was down greater than 600 factors, or 1.4%, whereas the S&P 500 and Nasdaq had been down 1.5% and a couple of.2%, respectively.

“It’s pivotal for the United States that the Strait is reopened, not so much because of oil but because of helium,” stated Todd Schoenberger, chief funding officer at CrossCheck Management, noting that helium is “more valuable than foreign oil” given its utilization in semiconductor processing and that “there is no substitute for it.”

“Expect more volatility going into the long weekend,” he added.

The indexes oscillated between positive aspects and losses all through the session following the developments. The CBOE Volatility Indexin any other case generally known as Wall Street’s worry gauge, touched a session excessive of greater than 27.

“I think investors are having knee-jerk reactions — they want the news to be good, but then think about it a little longer and decide perhaps the uncertainty is still too high, hence the high intraday volatility,” Melissa Brown, managing director of funding determination analysis at SimCorp, instructed CNBC.

trump delivered an address Wednesday night time, offering updates on the Middle East battle. Although he stated that the US is “getting very close” to ending the Iran battle, Trump added that the nation would “hit” Tehran “extremely hard.”

“Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong,” the president stated.

His feedback led to a surge in oil costs. West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled up 11.41% at $111.54 per barrel — the best stage since June 28, 2022. Brent crude futures settled 7.78% greater at $109.03 per barrel.

Oil costs will doubtless “stay higher for longer,” Brown believes. But even when they do finally come down, she stated that gasoline costs would nonetheless take longer to take action, which means there’s going to be a “continued inflationary impact on the economy.”

Even with the week’s risky buying and selling, the main averages posted positive aspects over the interval. The S&P 500 superior 3.4% week to this point, whereas the Dow rose almost 3%. The Nasdaq outperformed and climbed 4.4%.

Thursday marks the final buying and selling day of the shortened week, as markets are closed for Good Friday. March’s jobs report is ready for launch on Friday morning, nonetheless.

—CNBC’s Spencer Kimball contributed reporting.