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Stocks continue to climb on hopes of an end to the war

Stocks rallied and oil fell as traders digested comments from President Trump.

Stocks continued their climb on optimism that the war with Iran could conclude soon after President Trump told Reuters that the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” and could return for “spot hits” if needed. Trump is scheduled to provide further updates on Iran at 9 p.m. ET tonight in a televised address.

Every sector traded higher except for energy, which fell along with the price of oil, and consumer staples. The industrials and communications sectors led gains.

Stocks that moved higher:

The data center trade rebooted amid the Iran war relief rally, sending Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, KLA Corp, Dell, Sandisk, Western Digital, Lam Research, Coherent, Arista Networks, Seagate Technology Holdings, Micron, Lumentum, Eaton Corp, Corning, Amphenol, Ciena Corp., HP Enterprise, Quanta Services, Carrier, and Comfort Systems USA higher.
Intel soared after taking back full ownership of a manufacturing facility in Ireland.
Boeing climbed on news of its seven-year deal with the Pentagon to boost missile production.
Eli Lilly rose after the FDA approved its GLP-1 pill, intensifying its battle with Novo Nordisk.
China’s EV startup trio — Nio, Li Auto, and XPeng — climbed following the release of March and first-quarter delivery totals.
Target Hospitality spiked after signing a $550 million deal to build a Texas data center hub for a top 5 hyperscaler.
nCino soared after the cloud banking software company posted better-than-expected earnings and subscription revenue guidance.

Stocks that moved lower:

Energy stocks Valero, Phillips 66, Diamondback Energy, APA Corporation, Chevron, CF Industries, Devon Energy, EOG Resources, Coterra Energy, Exxon, and Marathon Petroleum, as well as chemical stocks Dow, Inc. and LyondellBasell, dropped as oil prices fell on hopes that the war in the Middle East is winding down.
Nike sank after the company guided for revenue declines in its Q3 earnings call yesterday as weak sales in China continue.
Hasbro tumbled after confirming that it suffered a cyberattack from which it may take “several weeks” to recover.
Beyond Meat sank after issuing a weak revenue outlook as demand struggles persist.
BYD ticked lower after the automaker posted its seventh consecutive month of sales declines.
ORIC Pharmaceuticals tumbled after the trial data for its prostate cancer treatment disappointed investors.
RH tanked after reporting weak earnings after the bell yesterday, as its adjusted earnings per share of $1.53 missed estimates of $2.20.
Philip Morris and Turning Point Brands sank after Reuters reported that FDA scientists are reluctant to authorize pouch products.

SpaceX reportedly files confidentially for IPO

SpaceX confidentially filed its draft IPO paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, the next step toward what is expected to be a blockbuster summer listing.

Elon Musk’s satellite and rocket company could raise around $75 billion in an IPO that would value it at more than $1.75 trillion — both records — though the exact amounts won’t be settled until it goes public, likely in June.

Another notable thing about this IPO: the portion of shares committed to individual investors is expected to be much higher than in traditional IPOs — per Reuters, up to 30%, versus the typical 10% — a move that could broaden retail participation in one of the most anticipated public offerings ever.

SpaceX Has Filed Confidentially for IPO Ahead of AI Rivals

Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Combine with xAI Ahead of Mega IPO

Matt Phillips7h

Energy stocks tumble after massive March

Energy and chemical stocks tumbled early Wednesday on growing expectations that the US participation in the Iran war is nearing an end, and West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures slipped back below $100 a barrel.

LyondellBasell, APA Corporation, Dow, Inc., CF Industries, and Marathon Petroleum — the S&P 500’s top 5 gainers last month — all sank.

Natural gas drillers EOG Resources, Devon Energy, Coterra Energy, and Diamondback Energy dropped, as did integrated oil giants Exxon and Chevron. Fuel refiners and marketers such as Phillips 66 and Valero also fell.

Don’t shed too many tears for these energy giants; the S&P 500 energy sector rose 10% in March and 37% in Q1 2026.

The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund is coming off its second-best quarter on record relative to the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, based on data going back to 1999.

Max Knoblauch7h

Nio, Li Auto rise as Q1 delivery totals beat internal guidance

China’s EV startup trio — Nio, Li Auto, and XPeng — are all climbing on Wednesday, following the release of March and first-quarter delivery totals.

Nio delivered 83,465 vehicles in the three months that ended in March, up 99% from the same quarter a year ago and slightly beating the upper end of its guidance. Li Auto delivered 95,142 vehicles in the period, up 2.5% and ahead of its guidance range. The figure was bolstered by 12% growth in March deliveries.

XPeng, on the other hand, saw Q1 deliveries drop 33% year over year to 62,682 vehicles — the company’s first quarterly drop since 2023. Shares are still up as of 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, as the automaker’s March deliveries were up 80% from February’s total.

BYD is down more than 2% on Wednesday, as the automaker posted its seventh consecutive month of sales declines. First-quarter sales fell 30% year over year, Reuters reported.

Matt Phillips8h

Data center trade reboots amid Iran relief rally

Memory, networking, chipmaking machinery, semiconductor, and rack-building stocks were all up early Wednesday, in a broad-based reboot of the data center trade on growing optimism about America’s potential exit from the Iran war.

Companies that make all the core components of data center were on the move early. Memory plays Micron, Sandisk, Western Digital, and Seagate Technology Holdings all opened near the top of the S&P 500’s leaders, as they shook off last week’s jitters related to a Google Research announcement about an AI algorithm that might cut demand for memory.

Fiber-optic and networking shares like Ciena Corp., Arista Networks, Corning, Coherent, Amphenol, and Lumentum — popular recent data center plays — also rose. OG data center trades like chip companies Nvidia, Intel, and Advanced Micro Devices gained. And the companies that make the machines that make the chips, like Lam Research and KLA Corp, are also catching a bid.

Even the more hard-hat elements of the AI boom were up, with Comfort Systems USA, Eaton Corp, Carrier, and Quanta Services rising. Server rack builders Dell and HP Enterprise also increased.

Clearly, there’s a big element of relief rally at play in the early bounce, building on Monday’s advance, which saw the S&P 500 post its biggest one-day gain since May.