US open: Stocks lower as Kharg Island strike hits sentiment

(Sharecast News) - Major indices opened lower on Tuesday following reports that the US military had conducted strikes on Iran's Kharg Island.

As of 1530 BST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.81% at 46,921.31, while the S&P 500 shed 0.91% to 6,551.42 and the Nasdaq Composite came out of the gate 1.32% weaker at 21,706.65.

The Dow opened 378.57 points lower on Tuesday, more than reversing gains recorded in the previous session.

According to Axios, which cited an unnamed senior US official, the US military struck Kharg Island early on Tuesday, something that was later confirmed by Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency.

Separately, Iran's Revolutionary Guard issued a warning to neighbouring states, saying "restraint is over" and threatening to target US and partner infrastructure in the region, as well as disrupt regional oil and gas supplies for an extended period.

The strikes come despite Donald Trump's vow to extend his deadline to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges until 2000 ET unless it reopens the Strait of Hormuz. They also come following a previous Axios report that said the US and Iran were discussing terms to reach a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the conflict.

Trump later threatened that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will". The Wall Street Journal also reported that negotiators weren't optimistic that the two nations will be able to reach an agreement between before the deadline put in place by Trump.

West Texas Intermediate was up 2.69% following the news at $115.43 a barrel, while benchmark Brent crude advanced 0.54% to $110.27 a barrel.

On the macro front, US durable goods orders fell for a third consecutive month in February, according to the Census Bureau, as weakness in the transport sector continued to weigh on headline demand. New orders for longlasting manufactured goods declined 1.4% monthonmonth to $315.5bn, extending January's revised 0.5% drop, driven by a 5.4% fall in transportation equipment, including a sharp 28.6% slide in nondefence aircraft and parts to $19.2bn. Excluding transport, orders edged up 0.8% month-on-month, bolstered by gains in primary metals, which rose 2.2% to $28.6bn, and machinery, up 1.5% at $41.1bn.

Still to come, February consumer credit change figures were slated for release at 2000 BST.

In the corporate space, Levi Strauss & Co will report earnings after the close.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $302.60 7.05%

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $41.85 3.07%

Chevron Corp. (CVX) $204.17 2.24%

Intel Corp. (INTC) $51.47 1.08%

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $79.71 0.78%

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $96.56 0.35%

Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $77.51 0.34%

Visa Inc. (V) $303.91 0.34%

Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $296.19 0.07%

Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $0.00 0.00%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $249.36 -3.10%

Nike Inc. (NKE) $42.81 -2.69%

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $117.56 -2.40%

Home Depot Inc. (HD) $319.09 -2.32%

Boeing Co. (BA) $208.58 -1.62%

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $337.95 -1.51%

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $711.58 -1.34%

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $854.65 -1.32%

International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $243.55 -1.22%

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $238.31 -1.18%

S&P 500 - Risers

Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $302.60 7.05%

VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) $274.90 5.61%

Humana Inc. (HUM) $191.26 5.54%

CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) $138.76 5.28%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $94.53 4.99%

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $173.65 3.95%

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) $81.72 3.50%

Apache Corp. (APA) $44.00 3.47%

CVS Health Corp (CVS) $75.75 3.42%

eBay Inc. (EBAY) $97.40 3.01%

S&P 500 - Fallers

United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) $88.02 -4.97%

NetApp Inc. (NTAP) $98.26 -4.58%

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) $216.91 -3.51%

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH) $18.69 -3.43%

Carnival Corp. (CCL) $25.13 -3.37%

Royal Caribbean Cr (RCL) $266.99 -3.16%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $249.36 -3.10%

Ipg Photonics Corp. (IPGP) $111.17 -3.05%

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) $74.95 -2.82%

Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) $54.59 -2.78%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $2.26 12.75%

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $94.55 4.99%

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) $173.78 3.95%

eBay Inc. (EBAY) $97.51 3.01%

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) $324.04 2.91%

Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) $23.41 2.41%

Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) $19.17 2.30%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) $217.43 2.02%

Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $12.47 2.00%

Marriott International - Class A (MAR) $334.60 1.78%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Tesla Inc (TSLA) $341.63 -5.98%

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $249.30 -3.10%

Netflix Inc. (NFLX) $98.66 -2.64%

Paypal Holdings Inc (PYPL) $44.85 -2.33%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $427.24 -2.32%

Asml Holdings N.V. (ASML) $1,275.61 -2.25%

Biogen Inc (BIIB) $172.75 -2.12%

Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $447.63 -2.05%

Meta Platforms Inc. (META) $566.68 -1.94%

Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI) $23.33 -1.88%