Morgans Financial Limited

US equity markets settled with modest declines as uncertainty around the prospects of U.S.-Iran negotiations weighed on investor sentiment – Dow dipped -5-points or -0.01%. Apple Inc (up +1.04%) confirmed that senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus is succeeding Tim Cook as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with Mr Cook to assume the role of executive chairman on 1 September. It marks the first CEO transition for Apple since Mr Cook succeeded Steve Jobs at the helm in 2011.

US equity markets rose sharply on Friday (17 April), with the S&P500 and Nasdaq recording fresh record intra-day and closing highs for a third straight session after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” to commercial traffic following last Thursday's (16 April) announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon – Dow rallied +869-points or +1.79%. Home Depot Inc (+3.63%), Sherwin Williams Co (+3.66%) and Merck & Co Inc (+3.13%). Chevron Corp fell -2.21%, tracking weaker crude prices and one of just three Dow components to settle in the red.

US equity markets were all stronger overnight after President Trump stated Israel and Lebanon had entered into a 10-day ceasefire, potentially paving the way for a broader peace agreement in the region. The Dow was up 118 points or +0.24% to 48,578 points.

US equity markets rallied, with unconfirmed reports that Iran has privately reached out to the US to discuss terms for ending their escalating conflict. However, Iran later denied a New York Times article that suggested operatives from its Ministry of Intelligence had reached out indirectly to the Central Intelligence Agence (CIA) with an offer to discuss terms for ending the conflict. According to Bloomberg, Iran's Tasnim News Agency cited a ministry source as saying that the New York Times report was "pure falsehood and psychological warfare"

US equity markets climbed and oil prices retreated amid signs of progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks, while investors also digested cooler-than-expected wholesale inflation figures – Dow rose +318-points or +0.66%. Nvidia Corp gained +3.8% to US$196.51 to book a tenth consecutive session advance - the artificial intelligence chip giant’s longest such winning streak since 2023 and one that has lifted the stock +17.66% over that stretch. The latest gain came a day after the company denied a report that it was seeking an acquisition of a large company that would “reshape the PC landscape.” Nvidia also announced a new family of open-source models overnight that the company it’s calling Ising, aimed at accelerating the adoption of quantum computing. Nvidia sits ~% below its all-time high of US$212.19 (adjusted for a 10-for-1 stock split that occurred in 2024) logged in October last year. Amazon.com Inc (+3.81%) extended its rally into a seventh straight session to record its best seven-day gain (+17.46%) since Augus

US equity markets opened the week on a positive footing, recovering from an opening slide after President Trump hinted at a possible resumption of negotiations with Iran. “We’ve been called by the other side,” President Trump said, adding “They’d like to make a deal very badly.” – Dow rose +302-points or +0.63%, recovering from an earlier session slide of over >400-points or ~0.9%. Salesforce Inc (up +4.76%) was the leading Dow component, snapping a five-session losing streak that pushed the stock -11.87% lower last week. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (+3.06%) and American Express Co (+3.29%) rose over >3%.

US equity markets settled mostly weaker on Friday (April) as investors eyed diplomatic talks over the weekend that were the highest level negotiations between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution and that sought to build on the two-week ceasefire negotiated last week – Dow lost -269-points or -0.56%. Nike Inc fell -3.14% and hit a 12-year low. The company announced chief innovation officer, Tony Bignell, was departing the company “to pursue his creative and philanthropic passions” less than a year after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elliot Hill installed him in the role.

The S&P500 and Nasdaq booked a seventh consecutive session of gains, reversing opening declines after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has given an instruction for Israel to begin talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah, which is also linked to Iran.

US equity markets soared and oil prices tumbled after President Trump announced after the close of the previous session that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire – Dow rallied +1,325-points or +2.85%, the 30-stock index’s best session since April 2025, when President Trump first backed down from the severity of his initial tariff announcement. Caterpillar Inc (up +6.51%), Home Depot Inc (+5.46%) and Goldman Sach Group Inc (+4.81%) were the leading trio of Dow components overnight.

US equity markets logged modest gains, climbing in the final hour of trading amid hopes that a proposal brokered by Pakistan may result in an eleventh-hour deal between the U.S. and Iran– Dow slipped -85-points or -0.18%, with Nike Inc (down -3% and trading at lows not seen since October 2014)

US equity markets resumed trading following the Good Friday (3 April) holiday, logging modest gains after President Trump said Iran was "an active, willing participant" in talks to end the countries' five-week-plus conflict but also threatened "decimation" if the nation doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz – Dow rose +165-points or +0.36%. Boeing Co (up +1.96%), Cisco Systems Inc (+1.79%) and American Express Co (+1.85%) all gained over >1.5%.

US equity markets made a positive start to the new month and quarter while oil prices declined amid cautious optimism the Iran war may end soon – Dow rose +224-points or +0.48% Boeing Co gained +4.17% to be the leading Dow performer, while Caterpillar Inc rose +3.09%. However, Nike Inc slumped -15.51% following the release of its third quarter result after the close of the previous session.

US equity markets opened the new week on the back foot following five consecutive weekly declines - Dow edged +50-points or +0.11% higher, with Salesforce Inc (up +3.19%) the leading component in the 30-stock index. However, Caterpillar Inc dropped -4.02% and Cisco Systems Inc -3.6%.

US equity markets opened the new week on the back foot following five consecutive weekly declines - Dow edged +50-points or +0.11% higher, with Salesforce Inc (up +3.19%) the leading component in the 30-stock index. However, Caterpillar Inc dropped -4.02% and Cisco Systems Inc -3.6%.

• US equity markets fell sharply for a second consecutive session on Friday (27 March) as oil prices continued to soar and act as the dominant driver of investor sentiment as the war in the Middle East entered its fifth week with no sign of a resolution - Dow dropped -793-points or -1.73% to 45,166.64, joining the Nasdaq in official correction territory after settling a touch over >10% below its 10 February record closing high (50,188.14). Amazon.com Inc (down -3.95%), JPMorgan Chase & Co (-3.02%), Salesforce Inc (-3.41%), UnitedHealth Group Inc (-3.37%) and Visa Inc (-3.28%) all falling over >3%. Nvidia Corp fell -2.17% after being the worst performer in the 30-stock index a day earlier.

US equity markets fell sharply, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recording their steepest single session decline since 20 January as oil prices continued to march higher amid mixed messages around the US-Iran conflict – Dow fell -469-points or -1.01% Nvidia Corp (down -4.16%) was the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while Boeing Co (-2.63%) and 3M Co (-2.783%) fell over >2.5%. Salesforce Inc (up +2.02%)

US equity markets advanced amid hopes of a ceasefire in the US-Iran war - Dow +305-points or +0.66%. Sherwin-Williams Co (+2.63%) and Merck & Co Inc (+2.58%) climbing over >2.5%. The latter announced that it will acquire US biotech firm Terns Pharmaceuticals for US$53 per share in cash, valuing the company at ~US$6.7B. Terns is developing TERN-701, an oral therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia. It marks Merck’s third multibillion-dollar acquisition in the past year as the company looks to strengthen its portfolio ahead of its top-selling cancer drug Keytruda losing patent protection in 2028.

US equity markets retreated as oil prices rebounded and software stocks came under fresh selling pressure - Dow slipped -84-points or -0.18%, with Salesforce Inc (down -6.23%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (-3.16%) and Microsoft Corp (-2.68%) also booked notable declines. Caterpillar Inc (up +2.13%) and Cisco Systems Inc (+2.59%) rose over >2%.

Technology stocks led fresh falls on US equity markets on Friday (20 March) as oil prices resumed their march higher - Dow fell -444-points or -0.96% to 45,577.47. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (down -3.43%), Honeywell International Inc (-3.29%), Nvidia Corp (-3.28%) and Boeing Co (-3.01%) all fell over >3%.

Morgans AM - Friday, 20 March 2026 by Morgans Financial