Major Averages Close Lower as Investors Track Middle East Tensions
The major averages closed lower as investors continue to track Middle East tensions ahead of a ceasefire deadline. Oil advanced, though the price remains below $100 per barrel. Of note, the Foreign Minister of Iran stated in a: "Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation."Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Applesaid that John Ternus willof the company, with Tim Cook transitioning to executive chairmanAmazonannounced an additionalUnitedHealthprovided areport for Q1GE Aerospacereportedand reiterated its FY26 guidance3Mreportedand reiterated its FY26 outlook2. WALL STREET CALLS:HSBCIntelto Buy on server CPU shipment growthKeyBancCrowdStriketo Overweight on AI tailwindsExxon Mobilto Peer Perform at Wolfe ResearchGraphic Packagingto Underperform at Raymond JamesNorthcoastCava Groupat Sell on "lofty' valuation3. AROUND THE WEB:Metais installing new tracking software on U.S.-based workers' computers to capture mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes for use in training its AI models, Reuters reportsDeutsche Telekomis weighing a full combination with T-Mobile, Bloomberg saysMagnum Ice Cream'sshort interest in Europe has increased to 19% of shares available for trading, Bloomberg reportsA U.S. jury has found Uberliable for a sexual assault by a driver in 2019, handing Uber a second consecutive defeat in its first trials of more than 3,000 pending lawsuits, NY Times saysSalesforceCEO Marc Benioff dismissed the idea of vibe coded CRM replacing SaaS companies, saying data security and compliance make Salesforce indispensable, WSJ reports4. MOVERS:Velo3Dwas higher after announcing it willas an official sponsor and additive manufacturing technology provider for two 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge eventsVaalco Energyincreased afterfrom its Gabon drilling program and well results from its Etame 14H wellLucidgained after Uberdisclosed aHycroft Miningfell after engaging with an engineering firm toAXT Inc.was lower after announcing an5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Genuine Partsand reaffirmed its guidance for FY26RTX, with CEO Chris Calio commenting, "RTX delivered a very strong start to 2026"Quest Diagnosticsand raised its guidance for FY26D.R. Hortonand narrowed its guidance for FY26, with CEO David Auld commenting, "The D.R. Horton team delivered a solid second quarter"Synchrony, with EPS beating consensusINDEXES:The Dow fell 293.18, or 0.59%, to 49,149.38, the Nasdaq lost 144.43, or 0.59%, to 24,259.97, and the S&P 500 declined 45.13, or 0.63%, to 7,064.01.
