Tech Stocks Eye Record Highs, Crude Drops To $64 On Iran-Israel Truce: What's Driving Markets Tuesday?

U.S. equities rallied Tuesday morning as investor sentiment improved following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, confirmed by both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Nasdaq 100 jumped 1.6% to 22,200 by 12:45 p.m. ET, putting its February all-time high of 22,222 within striking distance.

The tech-heavy index also formed a golden cross—a bullish chart pattern where the 50-day moving average moves above the 200-day, often seen as a signal of sustained upward momentum.

All major indexes posted gains of more than 1%. The S&P 500 climbed to 6,100, nearing its record high of 6,147, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced to 43,120.

Oil prices plunged 5% to $64 a barrel, extending Monday's 7.2% drop and echoing the steep two-day declines observed in early April.

Sector performance was broadly positive, with technology and communication services leading the rally. Energy and consumer staples were the only sectors in negative territory.

The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund XLK rose 1.8% to a record $247.26. Within the Magnificent Seven, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN surged 2.5%, outpacing peers.

Semiconductor stocks rebounded sharply, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF SOXX rallying 3.7%, recovering to levels last seen before the January selloff triggered by DeepSeek-related concerns.

Gold prices fell 1.5% to $3,320 per ounce, as investor demand for safe-haven assets weakened amid reduced geopolitical risk.

Bitcoin BTC/USD edged up 0.5% to $106,000, following a 4.3% rally on Monday.

Tuesday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

• The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO rose 1.2% to $559.39.
• The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA rose 1.2% to $430.75.
• The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ rallied 1.5% to $539.43.
• The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM edged up by 1.2% to $214.36.
• The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund outperformed, up 1.9%; the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE lagged, down 1.1%.

Tuesday’s Stock Movers

• Carnival plc CCL rallied 7% after reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly results.
• Other cruise and travel stocks rose, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH up 4.5%, Royal Caribbean Cruised Ltd. RCL, up 2.2% and Booking Holdings Inc. BKNG up 2.8%.
• Uber Technologies Inc. UBER rallied over 8% after launching its autonomous ride-hailing service in Atlanta in partnership with Waymo, covering a 65-square-mile area.
• Coinbase Global Inc. COIN soared over 10% after the Senate passed the stablecoin bill.
• Shares of defense contractors tumbled following the ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel. Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT, Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC and RTX Corp. RTX each fell by about 3%.

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