US open: Stocks higher as oil slumps, Trump comments boost sentiment

(Sharecast News) - Major indices opened higher on Tuesday as markets absorbed the Trump administration's latest remarks on Iran and oil prices extended their move lower.

As of 1515 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.49% at 47,972.78, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.44% to 6,825.91 and the Nasdaq Composite came out of the gate 0.71% firmer at 22,858.08.

The Dow opened 231.98 points higher on Tuesday, extending gains recorded in the previous session after Donald Trump suggested the conflict with Iran may be nearing its end.

Trump said the US was "very far" ahead of his initial fourtofiveweek timeline and stated he was "thinking about" taking control of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking later at a press conference at his golf club, Trump said the US was "achieving major strides toward completing our military objective" and stressed that Washington remained focused on keeping global energy supplies flowing.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that "today will be our most intense day of strikes inside Iran", adding that Tehran was "badly losing" as the conflict continued to escalate. In contrast, Iran's parliamentary speaker MohammadBagher Ghalibaf said that the country was not seeking a ceasefire, according to a translation.

Oil prices continued to slide after G7 energy ministers met on Tuesday morning to discuss a possible coordinated release of strategic oil reserves, though no decision was reached. West Texas Intermediate was down 10.73% at $84.60 per barrel, while Brent Crude was 10.2% lower at $88.87 a barrel.

On the macro front, the National Federation of Independent Business' small business optimism index slipped for a second straight month in February, easing to 98.8 from 99.3 in January and coming in below expectations for 99.7. The share of owners expecting higher real sales volumes fell eight points to a net 8%, while labour quality was cited as the most pressing issue by 15% of respondents, down a point on the month and the lowest reading since April 2020. Supplychain pressures also eased slightly, with 59% of firms reporting some level of disruption, three points fewer than in January.

NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said: "Although optimism declined slightly, small businesses report feeling more certain as they look toward the coming months. High sales and increased profits made February a more positive month for many owners, but competition from large businesses is putting stress on Main Street firms as they navigate the current economic climate"

On another note, US existing home sales rose 1.7% in February to an annualised 4.09m, accordingt to the National Association of Realtors, defying expectations for a drop to 3.89m. Unsold inventory increased 2.4% to 1.29m homes, equivalent to 3.8 months of supply at the current sales pace, while the median price of an existing home edged 0.3% higher yearonyear to $398,000, despite lower mortgage rates over the period.

In the corporate space, department store retailer Kohl's posted fourthquarter earnings that beat forecasts but fell short on revenue, while also issuing fiscal 2026 guidance that came in below analyst expectations.

Still to come, Oracle will release its latest quarterly figures after the close.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Intel Corp. (INTC) $47.09 9.28%

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $78.83 2.68%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $722.66 2.53%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $261.45 2.52%

3M Co. (MMM) $154.95 2.19%

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $34.78 1.97%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $375.78 1.58%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $358.48 1.46%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $118.39 1.02%

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $840.23 0.82%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $193.54 -2.60%

International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $250.86 -0.97%

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $283.24 -0.91%

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $328.17 -0.82%

American Express Co. (AXP) $304.47 -0.44%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $188.54 -0.36%

Boeing Co. (BA) $224.62 -0.22%

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $405.73 -0.19%

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $101.36 -0.10%

Nike Inc. (NKE) $56.52 -0.02%

S&P 500 - Risers

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $412.98 13.27%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $277.91 11.03%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $502.23 10.60%

Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) $218.08 10.30%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $388.78 10.19%

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) $69.48 9.99%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $47.30 9.28%

Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $349.45 8.91%

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,458.88 8.88%

Kohls Corp. (KSS) $16.15 6.97%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Centene Corp. (CNC) $38.64 -11.31%

Intuit Inc. (INTU) $452.74 -4.65%

Robert Half Inc. (RHI) $23.10 -4.31%

Gartner Inc. (IT) $159.68 -4.23%

CME Group Inc. (CME) $304.43 -4.06%

Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $203.43 -4.05%

Waste Management Inc. (WM) $236.57 -4.03%

H&R Block Inc. (HRB) $29.80 -3.75%

Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $231.88 -3.69%

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $216.95 -3.34%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $412.98 13.27%

Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $3.64 12.13%

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $277.91 11.03%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $502.23 10.60%

Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) $218.08 10.30%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $388.78 10.19%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $47.30 9.28%

Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) $349.45 8.91%

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,458.88 8.88%

Asml Holdings N.V. (ASML) $1,394.88 8.27%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Workday, Inc. (WDAY) $141.00 -5.50%

Intuit Inc. (INTU) $452.74 -4.65%

Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) $203.43 -4.05%

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $157.77 -3.82%

Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $231.88 -3.69%

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $216.95 -3.34%

Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $272.25 -3.17%

Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $221.08 -2.92%

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $95.86 -2.77%

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (CTSH) $63.17 -2.26%