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US Stock Market Highlightes: Wall Street extended its rally on Thursday, with benchmark indices closing at fresh highs as easing geopolitical tensions and ceasefire signals lifted sentiment.The S&P 500 rose 0.26% to settle at 7,041.28, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.36% to close at 24,102.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.24%, ending at 48,578.72.That optimism was reinforced after Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting 5 p.m. ET, following his conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A pause in hostilities between Israel and Lebanon has been a key condition for advancing US-Iran negotiations.Trump added that the next round of US-Iran talks could take place “probably, maybe, next weekend,” reiterating earlier remarks that the war is “very close to over.”Wall Street extended its rally on Thursday, with benchmark indices closing at fresh highs as easing geopolitical tensions and ceasefire signals lifted sentiment.The S&P 500 rose 0.26% to settle at 7,041.28, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.36% to close at 24,102.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.24%, ending at 48,578.72.That optimism was reinforced after Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting 5 p.m. ET, following his conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A pause in hostilities between Israel and Lebanon has been a key condition for advancing US-Iran negotiations.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlighting her medical and public health credentials.Trump described Schwartz as “incredibly talented,” noting her background as a physician in the US military and her academic training at Brown University.Schwartz previously served as Deputy Surgeon General during Trump’s first term, adding to her experience in senior public health leadership roles.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlighting her medical and public health credentials.Trump described Schwartz as “incredibly talented,” noting her background as a physician in the US military and her academic training at Brown University.Schwartz previously served as Deputy Surgeon General during Trump’s first term, adding to her experience in senior public health leadership roles.Myseum shares more than doubled, surging over 138% in afternoon trade after the company announced a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence.The penny stock climbed above $3 per share, after briefly crossing the $5 mark intraday, hitting its highest levels in over a year.The sharp rally puts the stock on track for its best single-day performance since early 2025, as investors piled into the AI-driven turnaround story.

Former Cleveland Federal Reserve PresidentLoretta Mester said the Federal Reserve is right to adopt a “wait and see” approach on inflation, citing uncertainty from geopolitical developments and oil price shocks.Speaking at the Semafor World Economy conference, Mester noted that the outlook for inflation will largely depend on how events unfold in the Middle East, adding that policymakers should remain cautious until there is greater clarity.She warned that inflation could move higher if energy prices remain elevated, complicating the Fed’s ability to cut interest rates. Market expectations for rate cuts have already moderated, with investors now seeing the policy rate ending the year in the 3.50%–3.75% range.Nvidia’s strong rally is approaching a crucial technical test, with the $212 level emerging as a key resistance to watch.According to Tom Hayes, a breakout above this level, which marks the stock’s previous intraday high from October 2025, could attract fresh buying interest and extend the rally in the near term.The stock has been on a powerful run, gaining 21% in April so far and notching an 11-day winning streak, underscoring strong investor momentum heading into this key inflection point.Madison Air Solutions soared nearly 19% to an intraday high of $32.02 on its market debut, after pricing its initial public offering at $27 per share at the top end of the indicated range.The Chicago-based firm raised $2.23 billion through the IPO, led by Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Jefferies, and Wells Fargo, with total proceeds potentially reaching $2.63 billion including the greenshoe option.Founder Larry Geis is expected to retain about 95% voting control through supervoting Class B shares following the listing.Advanced Micro Devices surged over 7% after Bernstein raised its price target, citing strength in server CPUs, while Intel also gained nearly 5% following a target hike.Abbott Laboratories fell near 7% after issuing weaker-than-expected second-quarter guidance and trimming its full-year outlook.Meanwhile, Aehr Test Systems jumped 11% after securing a $41 million order tied to an AI customer, lifting related names such as Lumentum, up nearly 6%, and Coherent, which rose around 3%.

Madison Air Solutions Corp. shares rose 19% after the company raised $2.23 billion in the biggest US listing of an industrial firm in close to three decades.

Shares of the provider of ventilation and filtration systems opened at $32, compared to the initial public offering price of $27 each. The company sold 82.7 million shares after marketing them for $25 to $27 apiece.

The trading gives the Chicago-based company a market value of $15.6 billion based on the number of outstanding shares listed in its filings.

Surveys the European Central Bank will receive ahead of its next policy meeting are unlikely to provide a clear picture of the fallout from the Iran war on Europe, Chief Economist Philip Lane said.

“We will have a rich set of survey data, but of course the people who are answering those surveys are looking at the same world we are looking at which is basically, not too many will really have a decisive idea about knowing exactly what is going to happen,” he said on Thursday in Washington.

Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s spring meetings, Lane said that “I think we will have something, but I think it’s too early to have anything too decisive.”

Shipowners and charterers are struggling to agree on who should take on the risk of crossing the Strait of Hormuz, meaning relatively few vessel bookings are occurring. It’s a reminder that, seven weeks into the Middle East conflict, shipping goods through the world’s most important energy chokepoint remains intolerably risky for most operators.

At least two oil companies with barrels available inside the Persian Gulf have sought to charter tankers in recent days, insisting that the shipowners should guarantee they will load on time, successfully cross Hormuz and reach their destination without delays, according to people who saw the requests.

The Texas grid operator published a dramatic projection for power demand through 2032, based on proposed data-center construction in the state, implying that peak electricity usage would have to quadruple from current levels.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said peak demand may reach 367,790 megawatts in six years, a vast increase from the all-time peak of 85,508 megawatts reached in August 2023. Data centers will account for more than 60% of the projected increase, according to an Ercot presentation released Wednesday.

At least two more empty tankers linked to Iran sailed into the Persian Gulf, hours before the US warned it will consider boarding and seizing any sanctioned vessels regardless of location, as it continues its blockade of the Islamic Republic.

Observable traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely constrained, but some transits are still continuing in both directions. In addition to the inbound vessels, two China-linked oil tankers sailed out of the Persian Gulf and into the Gulf of Oman, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.At 21:52 IST, Crude oil prices rose, with WTI up 2.48% to $93.55 and Brent up 3.72% to $98.46. At the same time, Murban crude was up 0.62% at $101.5, while natural gas edged up 0.96% to $2.635.

Donald Trump said that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, marking a potential step toward de-escalation in the region.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the ceasefire would formally begin at 5 p.m. EST, with both countries aiming to create conditions for broader peace.BNP Paribas economists estimate that artificial intelligence could drive US GDP growth of more than 10% by 2034, fuelled by a broad-based productivity boom across the economy.The bank noted that the AI wave is likely to usher in a period of optimism, with consumers, businesses, and investors making decisions based on expectations of sustained productivity gains.While regions including the US, UK, and Europe are all expected to benefit, the US is seen as best positioned to capture the largest gains. Under BNP’s central scenario, US GDP could rise 6.7% by 2034, with broader developed markets seeing growth average around 4% above baseline, echoing trends seen during the ICT revolution.Retail investors are beginning to chase the ongoing equity rally, with participation rebounding sharply, according to data from JPMorgan.Client flow data showed retail activity rising to the 55th percentile from around the 10th percentile just days earlier, signalling that individual investors are stepping back into markets as major indices hover near record levels.The surge has been led by increased single-stock buying, which climbed to the 71st percentile over the past year, while demand for exchange-traded funds weakened, with ETF inflows slipping to the 33rd percentile from 53rd percentile in the previous week.US-listed shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fell 2.4% despite the chipmaker reporting a record first-quarter performance, with profit surging 58% and both revenue and net income beating analyst expectations.The company posted revenue of NT$1.134 trillion and net income of NT$572.48 billion, both ahead of consensus estimates, underscoring strong demand for advanced semiconductor technologies. However, sentiment was weighed down by plans to ramp up capital expenditure to the higher end of its $52–$56 billion guidance, marking a sharp increase from last year.Bank of America remains constructive on the stock, with analyst Haas Liu reiterating a buy rating, citing attractive valuation and the company’s leadership in cutting-edge chip manufacturing. The stock is still up more than 23% so far this year.Initial jobless claims in the US fell to 207,000 for the week ended April 11, coming in below both the previous week’s revised 218,000 and economists’ expectations of 213,000, indicating resilience in the labour market.Data from the US Department of Labor showed a continued trend of low layoffs, aligning with the Federal Reserve Beige Book, which highlighted stable labour demand, minimal job cuts, and hiring largely limited to replacement roles.Meanwhile, continuing claims rose slightly to 1.82 million for the week ended April 4, suggesting some increase in the number of people remaining unemployed, even as fresh layoffs stay muted.Wall Street opened Thursday on a steady note, extending momentum from the previous session’s record-setting run.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 0.3% at the open, adding over 130 points, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite gained around 0.2% each, with both indices touching fresh intraday highs.The positive start follows a milestone session on Wednesday, when the S&P 500 crossed the 7,000 mark for the first time, keeping sentiment supported at the open.Investor focus remains on geopolitical developments, particularly around the US-Iran conflict. Reports suggest both sides are in indirect talks to extend the current ceasefire beyond April 22, keeping hopes of de-escalation alive.On the earnings front, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and PepsiCo beat expectations on both revenue and profit, while Charles Schwab topped earnings estimates but missed on revenue. Netflix is scheduled to report after the closing bell.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite achieved key milestones in the previous session, setting the stage for a positive start to Thursday’s trade.

The S&P 500 closed above the 7,000 mark for the first time at 7,022.95, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq also notched its first-ever close above 24,000, ending at 24,016.02.

Both indices are now higher for the year, with the S&P 500 gaining over 2% and the Nasdaq advancing more than 3%, reflecting sustained momentum in equities.

PepsiCo rose about 1% in premarket trade after posting better-than-expected first-quarter results, with earnings and revenue topping analyst estimates.

PPG Industries surged 6% after announcing a global price increase of up to 20%, citing rising input costs across petrochemicals, energy, and transportation.

Meanwhile, Voyager Technologies jumped 7% after being selected by NASA for its seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, expected to launch no earlier than 2028.NewsLive TVMarketPopular CategoriesCalculatorsTrending NowLet's Connect with CNBCTV 18Network 18 Group :©TV18 Broadcast Limited. All rights reserved.