US Stocks Close Higher, Dow Hits New High

2026-05-21 20:11 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

US stocks finished higher on Thursday after a volatile trading session, as renewed hopes for a potential US-Iran agreement to end the conflict pushed oil prices lower for a third consecutive day.

The S&P 500 gained 0.2%, the Nasdaq edged up 0.1%, and the Dow Jones rose 276 points to close at a fresh record high.

Reports indicated that Iran said the latest US proposal had partly narrowed the gap between the two sides, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to “some good signs” that a deal could be reached.

The decline in oil prices supported broader market sentiment.

Utilities led the gains, followed by consumer discretionary and materials, while consumer staples and energy lagged behind.

Investors also digested earnings results from NVIDIA (-1.8%), which failed to impress the market.

Meanwhile, Walmart fell more than 7% after warning that persistently higher fuel costs could weigh on its business.

In contrast, Apple rose 0.9%, Amazon gained 1.3%, and Eli Lilly advanced 2.2%.



News Stream
The Dow Jones Index Closes 0.55% Higher
The Dow Jones Index went up by 275 points or 0.55 percent on Thursday to close at 50284 points. The rise was led by IBM (12.55%), Cisco Systems (3.44%) and Honeywell International (2.96%). On the downside, the weakerst performers were Walmart (-7.21%), Salesforce (-2.10%) and Nvidia (-1.78%).
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US Stocks Close Higher, Dow Hits New High
US stocks finished higher on Thursday after a volatile trading session, as renewed hopes for a potential US-Iran agreement to end the conflict pushed oil prices lower for a third consecutive day. The S&P 500 gained 0.2%, the Nasdaq edged up 0.1%, and the Dow Jones rose 276 points to close at a fresh record high. Reports indicated that Iran said the latest US proposal had partly narrowed the gap between the two sides, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to “some good signs” that a deal could be reached. The decline in oil prices supported broader market sentiment. Utilities led the gains, followed by consumer discretionary and materials, while consumer staples and energy lagged behind. Investors also digested earnings results from NVIDIA (-1.8%), which failed to impress the market. Meanwhile, Walmart fell more than 7% after warning that persistently higher fuel costs could weigh on its business. In contrast, Apple rose 0.9%, Amazon gained 1.3%, and Eli Lilly advanced 2.2%.
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