Major Averages Broadly Higher as Investors Await Middle East News

The major averages were broadly higher near noon as investors await news out of the Middle East after President Trump said the U.S. and Iran will meet to negotiate after days of strikes. Oil prices are up again amid renewed tensions, though are still well below where they were just weeks ago.The key theme this week is shifting from geopolitics back toward macro data. Investors are watching labor market releases, including the JOLTS report and Thursday's payroll report, for clues on the Federal Reserve path. Markets continue to weigh a resilient economy against concerns that sticky inflation could keep the Fed more restrictive than expected.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:SpaceXwillon July 7Comcastplans to separate intothrough a tax-free spin-off of NBCUniversal and SkySpaceXand Charterhave discussed partnering on a mobile phone offering,Verizonand BT Groupwilland combine international operationsRocket LabIridiumfor $54 per share in a cash and stock transaction2. WALL STREET CALLS:Robloxto Buy at AreteAdobeto Neutral at Phillip SecuritiesDoximityto Underperform from Buy at BofAQuantinuumwith mostly Buy or equivalent ratings as Wall Street rolled out coverageCoverage of Liftoff Mobilewas alsowith mostly bullish ratings3. AROUND THE WEB:Salesforceemployees are concerned that Anthropic's Claude Tag could undermine Slackbot and strengthen Anthropic's influence within the enterprise software market, The Information saysIntelis gaining momentum from the AI boom and new partnerships with Nvidia, Apple, and Elon Musk's Terafab project, but its long-term future depends on proving its new 14A manufacturing process can succeed and help restore U.S. chip production, New York Times reportsSamsungand SK Hynix intend to invest over $500B in a new chip-making hub in South Korea, WSJ saysVolkswagenintends to end its automated driving partnership with Bosch as part of its efforts to cut costs and boost competitiveness, Reuters reportsMetahas imposed strict limits on applied AI staff use of external coding tools like Claude Code and Codex due to concerns about inadvertent model distillation, The Information says4. MOVERS:Repay Holdingsincreases after Forager Fund offered tofor $5.25 per shareFuelCellgains after B. Rileythe stock to BuyPalisade Biohigher afterto start its ulcerative colitis studyEvommunelower after Phase 2b trial ofits primary endpointLarimar Therapeuticsfalls afterof its rolling BLA for nomlabofusp5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:GameStopPerfect Moment, with EPS and revenue higher year-over-yearKolibri Global EnergyNikeon June 30Constellation Brandson June 30INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was up 0.44%, or 230.00, to 52,106.11, the Nasdaq was up 1.34%, or 339.82, to 25,637.44, and the S&P 500 was up 0.75%, or 55.11, to 7,409.13.