The ceasefire has been extended by only 3-5 days! Trump stated that negotiations could restart 'as early as Friday,' while Iran responded that no decision has been made yet.
Informed sources revealed that Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire between the US and Iran by 3-5 days rather than indefinitely. The Palestinian side expressed optimism, estimating that the second round of negotiations would take place within the next '36 to 72 hours,' but Iranian officials have not yet confirmed the arrangements for talks.
U.S. Stock Market Close | Extension of Ceasefire and Strong Earnings Push S&P 500, Nasdaq to New Highs; Semiconductor Index Sets Record for Longest Winning Streak, AMD Surges Over 6%; Crude Oil Rises for Third Straight Day, Bitcoin Briefly Tops $79,000
The Nasdaq Composite Index closed up more than 1.6%, reaching a new all-time high along with the S&P 500. The semiconductor sector extended its longest streak of consecutive gains on record, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index preliminarily closing up approximately 2.7%, marking its sixteenth consecutive day of gains, the longest such streak since data recording began in 1994. After the market close, Tesla surged 4% and Texas Instruments soared 10% following their earnings reports. The US Dollar Index rebounded for the second consecutive trading day, while Bitcoin rose 4.2%, briefly breaking above $79,000 during the session.
As the S&P 500 hits a new high, Bank of America clients are pulling out of U.S. equities, with both institutional and individual investors as well as corporate buybacks showing signs of cooling.
Last week, the S&P 500 Index surged by 4.5% in a single week, closing at a record high of 7126.06 points, marking its strongest weekly performance since May 2025. However, at the same time, Bank of America (BofA) clients continued to sell off. According to a report released by BofA on Wednesday, as of the week ending April 17, BofA clients overall were net sellers of U.S. equities, with outflows reaching $5.1 billion, marking the fifth consecutive week of net outflows. Both institutional and retail investors withdrew in tandem. Institutional clients led the selling, with net sales of individual stocks amounting to $5.2 billion. Retail investors, on the other hand, were net sellers for the sixth consecutive week, recording the longest streak of continuous net selling since February 2024.
Top 20 in trading volume | Storage concept surges again, with Micron and Sandisk rising over 8% to hit new highs; Q1 orders surge 71% year-over-year, boosting GEV's performance by 13% post-earnings; Cryptocurrency concept strengthens, with Strategy rising
Micron Technology, the top stock by trading volume on Wednesday, closed 8.48% higher, hitting a record high share price, with a turnover of $21.767 billion. According to research from Goldman Sachs, Micron Technology alone accounted for approximately 51% of the upward revision in earnings forecasts for the S&P 500, becoming the core driver of this round of forecast upgrades. Prior to Micron's earnings release, Goldman Sachs had already listed the company as a key recommendation, with its EPS forecast for 2026 being about 19% higher than the market consensus.
Stock Selection Is the Way to Go as Markets Experience Continued Volatility - Raymond James's Larry Adam
Express News | Israeli media: Trump's deadline for a ceasefire with Iran set to expire on the 26th
S&P 500 Earnings Is off to a Strong Start as 89% of Companies Have Beat Estimates
Geopolitical Risk Will Still Affect Stocks Over the Next Few Weeks – Ed Yardeni
Express News | The New York Times: Pakistan receives positive signals from Iran on resuming face-to-face talks
The retreat of risk premiums coupled with renewed expectations for interest rate cuts has prompted a broad withdrawal among bullish dollar positions!
Major Wall Street banks predict a long-term weakening of the US dollar, with long-term trends such as pre-war White House policy volatility and global reductions in US assets continuing to weigh on the dollar after the ceasefire.
AI Stocks Near 45% of S&P 500 Weight, Goldman Sachs Says
The easy part is over! Goldman Sachs trading desk: We are in the 'final stage of systemic support.'
The Goldman Sachs trading desk has warned that the systematic buying driving the U.S. stock rebound is entering its 'final phase,' and the 'easy money' has already been made. At the same time, rising energy costs are eroding corporate profits and consumer purchasing power, while unusual movements in junk stocks suggest increasingly chaotic positioning. Although a ceasefire agreement briefly calmed sentiment, it has done little to ease geopolitical tensions. The market is transitioning from passive momentum chasing to a new phase of actively assessing fundamentals.
Stock Rally Getting Harder to Chase - Goldman
Wash Hearing 'Plays Tai Chi': Using humor to defuse awkwardness and ambiguity to cater to Trump, but how long can this last?
Kevin Warsh, the nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, evaded core concerns about the erosion of the Fed's independence during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday through indirect phrasing, fueling growing market unease over the trajectory of U.S. monetary policy. In his column, Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Levin noted that Warsh attributed the primary threat to independence to the Fed itself. Warsh stated, "Elected officials commenting on interest rates does not necessarily imply a threat to the independence of monetary policy." However, Trump had already pressured the Fed leadership via the Department of Justice and repeatedly demanded rate cuts in public social media posts. Warsh’s remarks in this regard...
Pre-market Overview of the U.S. Stock Market | Google Cloud Next Conference and Tesla Earnings Report on the Horizon! All Three Futures Indices Rise; Optical Communication and Cryptocurrency Concept Stocks Active in Pre-market Trading, POET Surges Over 21
On Wednesday before the market opened, both the United States and Iran expressed positive intentions toward resuming negotiations. Futures of the three major U.S. stock indexes collectively rose. As of the time of writing, Dow futures were up 0.55%, Nasdaq futures increased by 0.69%, and S&P futures gained 0.55%.
After rejecting negotiations, Iran: Received 'some signals' suggesting the US is prepared to lift sanctions.
After formally declining to attend the negotiations in Islamabad on the 22nd, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations revealed that he had received a 'signal' from the U.S. indicating readiness to lift the maritime blockade: 'Once they lift the blockade, I believe the next round of talks will be held in Islamabad.' Meanwhile, the second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled to take place in the U.S. on the 23rd, as multi-front strategic competition in the Middle East continues to intensify.
Express News | Iranian media confirmed that they have received 'some signals' indicating the United States is prepared to lift the blockade.
What Did Wash's Hearing Reveal? A Quick Overview of the Key Points
Kevin Warsh: Not a Puppet of Trump
Iran rejects negotiations! Trump announces extension of ceasefire, maintaining maritime blockade while awaiting Iran's proposal.
Trump stated that, in light of the 'serious divisions' within the Iranian government, the U.S. has decided to extend the ceasefire until Iran presents a unified negotiation proposal and completes the negotiations. During this period, the U.S. military will continue to enforce a maritime blockade against Iran while maintaining a state of military readiness.
Express News | Trump: If we lift the blockade of the strait, it will be impossible to reach an agreement with Iran forever.