Live Nasdaq Composite: Markets Back Up While Oil Resumes Gains on War Fears

This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates. 

With no clear end to the Iran war in sight, the markets are erasing some of yesterday’s precious gains. All three of the major stock market averages are under pressure out of the gate, including a 0.49% decline in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly wants President Trump to continue the war against Iran, calling it a “historic opportunity” to reshape the Middle East. Big Tech stocks including Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOGL | GOOGL Price Prediction), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Broadcom (Nasdaq: AVGO) are each down by over 1% in today’s sell-off.

Here’s a look at where things stand as of morning trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: 45,860 Down 0.75%
Nasdaq Composite: 21,792 Down 0.72%
S&P 500: 6,540 Down 0.63%

Market Movers

WTI crude oil is off to the strongest start on record, surging 66.4% year-to-date and leaving every year since 1983, including the Russia-Ukraine shock of 2022 and COVID’s 2020 whipsaw, in the dust. The late February through mid-March spike alone eclipses any historical range. At last check, WTI crude oil is hovering at $92.25, up about 4%.

SK Hynix is making a massive bet on advanced chipmaking, with plans to purchase roughly $8 billion worth of extreme ultraviolet equipment from ASML (ASML), according to the WSJ.

United Airlines expects to take delivery of more than 250 new planes by Q2 2028, the most of any airline in a two-year stretch. The haul includes Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 737 MAXs alongside a wave of Airbus A321 variants

FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is trying to compete with Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) on breakneck delivery speed. FedEx just announced plans to roll out FedEx SameDay Local. 

The NYSE is stepping into the tokenization era, teaming up with Securitize to develop a tokenized securities trading platform, per the WSJ. Securitize becomes the NYSE’s inaugural digital transfer agent, enabling stocks and ETFs to be issued as digital tokens on a blockchain.