US Stocks Close Sharply Higher

2026-03-31 20:02 By Felipe Alarcon 1 min. read

US equities closed sharply higher on Tuesday as the S&P 500 gained 3% and the Nasdaq Composite surged 3.5% following reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is open to ending regional hostilities under specific guarantees.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 2.6% to mark its best session since May as investors reacted to potential de-escalation efforts by President Trump despite the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

This relief rally failed to erase a volatile month where the S&P 500 concluded March with a 5.3% decline representing its worst monthly performance since 2022.

Energy markets remained a primary driver of this turbulence as Brent crude settled at $118 following a strike on a Kuwaiti tanker while WTI futures settled lower at $101.

Technology shares led the broader recovery with Nvidia climbing 5.6% and Microsoft advancing 3.1%.



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