US stocks climbed on Wednesday as investors weighed reports that the US has approached Iran with a plan to halt fighting, raising cautious hopes for an easing in a war that has roiled markets.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.6%, paring earlier gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained around 0.5%. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) added 0.9% on the heels of a day of losses for Wall Street stocks.
Oil prices retreated by more than 5%, continuing a wild ride as markets tracked developments related to Iran. West Texas Intermediate crude (CL=F) fell to around $87, while Brent crude (BZ=F) traded below $95.
Iran received a 15-point plan aimed at bringing the Middle East conflict to a close, the AP reported, citing officials from intermediary Pakistan. The proposal is seen as a sign of growing urgency in the Trump administration to halt escalating attacks, given the likely severe hit to economies. While President Trump has said the US is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Iran, Tehran has pushed back on claims of direct talks, muddying the picture of the situation.
While Iran continued to launch strikes on Wednesday, the proposal news tentatively nudged up appetite for risk and market bets on an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve this year. Eyes are now on Wednesday’s data releases, including February import and export prices, for a health check on the economy.
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Stocks climb at the open amid cautious optimism for peace talks with Iran
US stocks opened higher, coming back from Tuesday’s losses after the US sent Iran a 15-point plan to restart peace talks, triggering cautious optimism that a resolution to the war may be in the works.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) added about 1% at the open, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) both gained 1.2%.
Oil prices pulled back, a welcome sign for drivers as average gasoline prices have crept closer to $4 per gallon. West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) crude fell 4.8% to $87 a barrel, while Brent (BZ=F) traded at $95 — falling below $100 for the first time in about two weeks.
Still, signs of an off-ramp for the hostilities remained somewhat tempered as Iranian officials called the plan a wishlist, and the two sides remained far apart.
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KB Home cuts outlook as Middle East war adds to housing market woes
KB Home (KBH) stock fell over 2% in premarket trading after the homebuilder said the war in the Middle East was another factor weighing on the already challenged housing market.
“Concerns surrounding the conflict in the Middle East have introduced an additional layer of uncertainty for consumers who were already working through numerous challenges,” executive chairman Jeffrey Mezger said, adding that the homebuilder believes it is “well positioned to navigate the current environment.”
Mezger’s warning came along with a guidance cut for the full year. In 2026, KB Home said it expects to deliver between 10,000 and 11,500 homes and bill $4.80 billion to $5.50 billion in revenue. The previous guidance was for 11,000-12,500 homes and $5.10 billion-$6.10 billion in revenue.
In the near term, KB Home said depressed consumer confidence, elevated mortgage rates, and affordability pressures have stifled demand ahead of the crucial spring selling season.
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SK Hynix plans to list US shares later this year
South Korean memory supplier SK Hynix (000660.KS) is preparing to list its shares in the US in the second half of the year, CEO Kwak Noh-Jung said at a shareholders meeting on Wednesday.
The Nvidia (NVDA) supplier said it has already filed for an American depositary receipt listing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it will file another disclosure with more details within six months.
The listing is expected to be one of the biggest US debuts by a foreign company amid insatiable demand for a specialized form of memory for artificial intelligence.
Strong returns from hyperscalers like Meta (META) and Amazon (AMZN), and a shortage of these products, have spurred a race among SK Hynix (000660.KS), Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), and Micron Technology (MU) to produce high-bandwidth memory chips.
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3 factors have driven double-digit stock market losses in the last 100 years. They’re all in play.
On Wall Street, knowing what has and hasn’t ultimately driven sustained periods of poor performance needs to be top of mind. Right now, investors are facing a rare combination of triggers — and that’s a problem.
Yahoo Finance’s Myles Udland writes:
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Premarket trending tickers: Mining stocks, DigitalOcean, Alibaba, and JD.Com
Mining stocks, Newmont (NEM), SSR Mining (SSRM), and Freeport-McMoran (FCX), rose roughly around 5% during premarket on Wednesday as gold futures rose as investors became hopeful that the war in the Middle East would end soon.
DigitalOcean (DOCN) stock fell 7% before the bell on Wednesday after announcing it had started a public offering if 700 million shares, which the company said will fund infrastructure and debts.
Alibaba (BABA) and JD.com (JD) rose more than 3% before the bell on Wednesday after China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said it would move to end the food delivery price war.
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Arm stock rises after debut of its first data center AGI chip
Arm shares rose over 13% in premarket after the company launched its own CPU and linked server rack for artificial general intelligence — a pivotal move for the linchpin chip designer.
Yahoo Finance’s Daniel Howley reports:
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SpaceX set to file for IPO as soon as this week: The Information
The biggest initial public offering on record could officially kick off its process this week.
The Information reported late Tuesday that SpaceX (SPAX.PVT) is preparing to file for its IPO with the SEC as soon as this week.
The rocket company led by Elon Musk is expected to raise up to $75 billion in its offering; the company was most recently valued at $1.25 trillion.
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Gold extends gains as reported Iran war talks offer respite
Bloomberg reports:
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Oil falls as hope builds for an end to war in Iran
Bloomberg reports:
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