The Daily

April 15 (UPI) — The U.S. military’s maritime blockade of Iran has “completely halted” sea-based trade with the Middle Eastern country, U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday.

President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran collapsed.

The blockade of 12 U.S.

 » Read more about: U.S. says blockade has 'completely halted' Iran's maritime trade  »

 » Read more about: Nvidia shares extend winning run to 11th session; top $200 for first time in five months, near record high  »

 » Read more about: IonQ Is Ripping Higher Today — Is the Stock a Buy Right Now?  »

00:03 Speaker A

Software stocks are making a comeback after taking a beating for the year so far. The uh sector’s ETF IGV has been has had its best run since basically April. The fund’s portfolio includes heavyweights such as Microsoft, Palantir, and Oracle. Let’s take a state of the sector look and what this means for software and tech ETFs broadly.

 » Read more about: AI ETFs help 'capture' more select groups of software stocks  »

Investing.com — Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares rose as much as 8% on Wednesday after Chief Executive Elon Musk announced the company’s chip design team completed the “tape out” of its AI5 chip.

The electric vehicle maker was the best performer among the Magnificent Seven technology stocks following Musk’s announcement on X.

 » Read more about: Tesla stock jumps 8% on AI chip milestone announcement  »

This is expected to be a banner year for nuclear energy — as well as a huge opportunity for investors to capitalize on the changing global energy mix. Fifteen new reactors are expected to go online this year, and another 50 from 2027 through 2030.

There are over 75 nuclear reactors under construction around the world,

 » Read more about: Nuclear Is the Energy Story of 2026. Here Are 3 Stocks to Own All Year.  »

 » Read more about: Is CRH (CRH) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?  »

Wall Street analysts expect Washington Trust Bancorp (WASH) to post quarterly earnings of $0.77 per share in its upcoming report, which indicates a year-over-year increase of 26.2%. Revenues are expected to be $58.62 million, down 0.7% from the year-ago quarter.

Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged.

 » Read more about: Unlocking Q1 Potential of Washington Trust (WASH): Exploring Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics  »

Wall Street’s biggest banks still expect 2026 to be a strong year for dealmaking, although turmoil in the Middle East that has roiled global markets has tempered executive optimism.

Investment banking fees – earned from advising on mergers and acquisitions and underwriting deals – surged an average of 27 per cent across six major U.S.

 » Read more about: Wall Street still betting on 2026 deal boom, but Middle East unrest adds caution  »

Quick Read

• Palantir (PLTR) trades at a 215x trailing P/E multiple while facing a 35% decline from its highs.

• The stock struggles to gain traction despite encouraging comments from President Trump and buying from Cathie Wood at Ark Invest.

 » Read more about: Palantir Just Got a Presidential Nod and a Cathie Wood Buy. Time to Fade Burry and Go Long?  »