S&P 500 Climbs at End of Best Quarter Since 2020: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) — The best quarter in six years for stocks is ending on a positive note, with chipmakers extending their surge from war-driven lows and signs of economic resilience fueling optimism about corporate earnings.

A rally that’s added $8 trillion to the S&P 500’s value in three months powered ahead as data showed increases in jobs openings and consumer confidence. Tech shares led gains, sending the Nasdaq 100 up about 1%. A key gauge of semiconductor firms, which had recently plunged on valuation angst, remained on track for its best-ever quarter. Oil fluctuated before talks on formally ending the war in Iran. Bond yields rose.

A fresh batch of economic data continued to underscore growing momentum. Though a surge in prices during the Iran war has depressed consumer sentiment and eaten into wage gains, it’s had less of an impact on demand for workers as spending has remained resilient.

Investors also kept a close eye on the latest geopolitical developments, with Qatar saying Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had arrived in Doha as part of ongoing peace negotiations between the US and Iran and as the countries try to calm tensions. That follows an agreement to end days of tit-for-tat attacks.

“Whether the price action is noise or signal will become clearer in the coming days – perhaps weeks – and will depend on a balance of geopolitical risks, US rate uncertainty, and the earnings outlook,” said Kyle Rodda at Capital.com.

Corporate Highlights:

Visa Inc., Stripe Inc. and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. are among dozens of financial firms linking up to introduce a stablecoin, part of a strategy to broaden the appeal of the digital money-movement technology. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. is scrapping plans to develop a multibillion-dollar project in Louisiana that would have produced of hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. US solar technology stocks climbed on reports that the Federal Communications ‌Commission is drafting a ban on imports of foreign inverters. Concentrix Corp. cut its revenue outlook and warned that some of its customers are cutting back spending, exacerbating worries among analysts that the industry faces a severe threat from new artificial-intelligence tools. AeroVironment Inc. surged after the defense firm reported results that beat expectations. Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% as of 11 a.m. New York time The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.9% The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.7% The MSCI World Index rose 0.3% Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed The euro was little changed at $1.1433 The British pound rose 0.1% to $1.3273 The Japanese yen fell 0.4% to 162.52 per dollar Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin fell 3.1% to $58,364.13 Ether fell 3.4% to $1,560.92 Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced three basis points to 4.40% Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at 2.85% Britain’s 10-year yield advanced four basis points to 4.76% Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.5% to $70.43 a barrel Spot gold rose 0.6% to $4,038.01 an ounce ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.