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US Stock Market Live Updates: Stocks moved higher on Wednesday, while oil prices fell at the start of the month, as optimism grew that the US-Iran conflict could be nearing a resolution.The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 185 points, or 0.4%.In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said Iran’s president has sought a ceasefire, but added that the US would only consider it once the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.” He also warned that “until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% on Wednesday afternoon, led by strong gains in the industrials sector. Nine of the 11 S&P 500 sectors were trading in positive territory, reflecting broad market strength.Industrials emerged as the top performer, surging 1.9%, followed closely by communication services, which rose 1.8%. Materials, information technology, and consumer discretionary also posted gains exceeding 1%.On the downside, energy and consumer staples were the only sectors in the red, slipping 3.7% and 0.3%, respectively.

The US dollar strengthened slightly against the Japanese yen on Wednesday, last trading at 158.775 yen, up 0.04%.The stock market may climb another 1.5% after Tuesday’s strong rally, according to Jeff deGraaf, chairman and head of technical research at Renaissance Macro Research.“This is an oversold rally that was sparked by some news and some optimism. But there’s more to do,” deGraaf said Wednesday on CNBC’s Money Movers.The S&P 500 notched its best day since May during Tuesday’s session as Wall Street bet on a possible easing of US-Iran tensions. The broad index added 0.5% in afternoon trading Wednesday.DeGraaf cautioned that market breadth hasn’t been as strong as he would like to see, signaling cautious optimism despite the rally.

Exchange-traded funds tracking oil witnessed unprecedented trading activity in March, as the US-Iran conflict fuelled a sharp rally in crude prices and drew heightened investor participation. The United States Oil Fund, which tracks US spot crude prices, recorded over 1.4 billion shares traded this month, well above its previous peak of under 800 million seen in April 2020. Similarly, the United States Brent Oil Fund, tied to global crude benchmarks, saw volumes exceed 211 million shares, comfortably surpassing its prior high of under 112 million set in 2022. The surge in activity coincided with record monthly gains for both funds. USO advanced more than 55%, while BNO climbed over 49%, reflecting the intensity of the move in oil markets amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

Five S&P 500 stocks climbed to fresh 52-week highs on Wednesday, signalling pockets of strength in defensives and infrastructure-linked plays even as broader market breadth remained uneven. Among the gainers, Pfizer traded at levels last seen in November 2024, while Ross Stores extended its rally to all-time highs dating back to its 1985 IPO. Data centre major Equinix also pushed higher, alongside utilities Sempra Energy and Entergy, both hitting record levels. On the flip side, ten stocks fell to new 52-week lows, highlighting continued pressure in payments, financial services, and select consumer names. These included Nike, Visa, and Global Payments, along with Automatic Data Processing and Fidelity National Information Services. Further weakness was seen in Broadridge Financial, CoStar Group, Insulet, Progressive, and TransDigm.

SpaceX has officially taken the first step toward the public markets, confidentially filing for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) with the SEC. First reported by Bloomberg and later confirmed by CNBC’s David Faber, the filing sets the stage for what is expected to be a historic market debut in June 2026. This move follows a seismic shift in Elon Musk’s corporate empire. In February, SpaceX merged with his artificial intelligence venture, xAI, creating a vertically integrated powerhouse that spans aerospace, global telecommunications, and frontier AI.

Shares of Nike are on track for their steepest single-day decline in nearly a year after the company issued a disappointing outlook, overshadowing an otherwise solid quarterly performance. The stock fell 14.3% in afternoon trading, putting it close to its worst day since early April 2025, when it dropped 14.4%. Despite reporting better-than-expected results for the third quarter, investor sentiment turned sharply negative on the guidance, signalling concerns around demand visibility and near-term growth. The latest decline deepens Nike’s struggles in 2026, with the stock now down nearly 30% year-to-date and heading toward a fifth consecutive year of losses, a rare prolonged stretch of underperformance for the athleticwear giant.

Shares of Nike are on track for their steepest single-day decline in nearly a year after the company issued a disappointing outlook, overshadowing an otherwise solid quarterly performance. The stock fell 14.3% in afternoon trading, putting it close to its worst day since early April 2025, when it dropped 14.4%. Despite reporting better-than-expected results for the third quarter, investor sentiment turned sharply negative on the guidance, signalling concerns around demand visibility and near-term growth. The latest decline deepens Nike’s struggles in 2026, with the stock now down nearly 30% year-to-date and heading toward a fifth consecutive year of losses.Elon Musk’s SpaceX has confidentially filed for an initial public offering, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, with the company reportedly targeting a valuation of more than $1.75 trillion.The move comes as competition intensifies in the AI and space ecosystem, with firms like OpenAI and Anthropic also said to be exploring potential IPOs in 2026.

Shares of Intel surged on Wednesday after the chipmaker said it will buy back a 49% stake in its Ireland Fab 34 joint venture from Apollo in a $14.2 billion deal.

The stock was last up about 9% following the announcement.US factory activity expanded in March, coming in above expectations, though rising price pressures pointed to inflationary effects from the Iran war, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).The ISM manufacturing index rose to 52.7, up 0.3 points from February and slightly ahead of the 52.4 consensus estimate from Dow Jones. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.Within the report, the production index climbed 1.6 points to 55.1, while supplier deliveries jumped 3.8 points to 58.9, signaling stronger activity.However, the prices index surged 7.8 points to 78.3, highlighting mounting cost pressures. Employment remained largely unchanged at 48.7, continuing to signal contraction in hiring.HSBC Global Investment Research upgraded Bank of America to “buy” from “hold,” citing its attractive valuation and solid earnings outlook.The brokerage, however, trimmed its price target to $55 from $57 to reflect “higher costs of equity on the back of greater macro uncertainties.”HSBC said Bank of America’s leadership across financial services, above-average EPS growth prospects, and strong credit track record are not fully reflected in its current valuation.The note added that expectations for multi-year return on equity expansion are now less clearly priced in, as investors grow more cautious about macro risks, including slower growth, higher inflation, and credit exposure to non-bank financial institutions and private credit.US stocks opened higher on Wednesday, with all three major indexes trading in positive territory at the start of the session.The S&P 500 gained 0.6% shortly after the opening bell, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 363 points, or 0.8%, in early trading.

Oil prices eased on Wednesday morning after fresh signals from Washington and Tehran hinted at a possible path toward ending the conflict, now in its fifth week.

Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, fell about 2.2% to trade near $101.70 per barrel. Meanwhile, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped roughly 2.1%, slipping back below the key $100 mark to around $99.30 per barrel.

The pullback comes amid a wave of headlines suggesting both Iran and the US may be open to de-escalation, raising hopes that the prolonged conflict could be nearing a turning point.US retail sales rose more than expected in February, underscoring the resilience of consumer spending just before the onset of the Iran war.Sales increased 0.6% month-on-month, rebounding from a 0.1% decline in January and coming in above Wall Street expectations of a 0.5% gain, according to Bloomberg data. On an annual basis, retail sales were up 3.7%.Core retail sales, which exclude autos, climbed 0.5% in February — stronger than both January’s flat reading and forecasts for a 0.3% increase. Year-on-year, this measure rose 3.6%.Meanwhile, gasoline sales fell 0.7% from a year earlier in February, the last full month before the impact of the Iran war — which began with US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 — is expected to start reflecting in economic data.

Private sector hiring came in stronger than expected in March, even as job gains edged slightly lower on a monthly basis, according to data from ADP.

Companies added 62,000 jobs during the month, down marginally from February’s revised 66,000 but well above economists’ expectations of 40,000.

Hiring was evenly split across sectors. Goods-producing industries contributed 30,000 jobs, with robust gains in construction offsetting continued weakness in manufacturing, which shed 11,000 roles. Meanwhile, service-providing sectors added 32,000 jobs, as a sharp decline in trade, transportation and utilities was balanced by strong hiring in education and healthcare, along with modest gains elsewhere.

Wage growth remained steady, with pay for job stayers rising 4.5% year-on-year for a third straight month. Those switching jobs saw higher increases, with wages climbing 6.6%.

“Overall hiring is steady, but job growth continues to favor certain industries, including health care,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.NewsLive TVMarketPopular CategoriesCalculatorsTrending NowLet's Connect with CNBCTV 18Network 18 Group :©TV18 Broadcast Limited. All rights reserved.