Dow Jones Index Rises 2.49% to 46,341.51

The major averages closed sharply higher in a positive end to an otherwise difficult March that saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq suffer their weakest monthly performances in several years amid continued conflict in the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that President Trump has told aides he may be willing to end military activities even if the Strait of Hormuz stayed mostly closed, while reports quote the Islamic Republic News Agency as having indicated that Iran's President is ready to work toward ending the war, but seeks guarantees.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Nvidiaisin Marvellas part of a strategic partnership over silicon photonics technologyBiogenApellisfor $41 per share in cash at closing, or $5.6BEli LillyCentessafor $38 per share in cash plus one contingent value rightMcCormickagreed to combine with Unilever'sFoods businessKKRand Taiyo reached a2. WALL STREET CALLS:Ferrarito Buy from Hold at JefferiesBernsteinWestern Digitalon attractive entry post selloffPhreesiato Neutral or equivalent ratings at Baird, Truist, Citi and JPMorganTDColgate-Palmoliveon higher oil-based input costsWall Street rolled outof MiniMedwith mostly Buy or equivalent ratings3. AROUND THE WEB:Ciscohas suffered a cyberattack after threat actors used stolen credentials from the recent Trivy supply chain attack to breach its internal development environment and steal source code belonging to the company and its customers, BleepingComputer saysSwiss senior parliamentarians have told UBSexecutives they would create a compromise related to the new rules as Bern finalizes a decision on how much capital the bank should hold, FT saysIrenic Capital Management has built a position in Snapand is pushing for changes at the social media company to improve financial and operating performance, Bloomberg saysNetflixis considering expanding its current two-game package to four games, WSJ reportsAppeals court denies reviving criminal case against Boeing, Bloomberg says4. MOVERS:Agios Pharmaceuticalsincreases after announcing it will pursue U.S. acceleratedWeRidegains after launching fully driverlessin Dubai with UberAehr Testhigher after receiving afor wafer-level test and burn-in of silicon photonics integrated circuitsT1 Energylower afterand maintaining its guidance for FY26Constellation Energyfalls after 2026 guidance5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Hersheyprovided adjusted EPS and revenue growthPurple Innovationand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26FactSetand raised its guidance for FY26J.Jill, with EPS and revenue beating consensusTD Synnex, with CEO Patrick Zammit commenting, "We're pleased with how we've started fiscal 2026"INDEXES:The Dow rose 1,125.37, or 2.49%, to 46,341.51, the Nasdaq gained 795.99, or 3.83%, to 21,590.63, and the S&P 500 advanced 184.80, or 2.91%, to 6,528.52.