Stocks rally after Trump comments on Iran
US stocks ended sharply higher on Thursday, with indexes extending gains after US President Donald Trump said he cancelled planned strikes against Iran, and on the eve of the market debut of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The three major indexes registered their biggest daily percentage gains since 8 April, when the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
Trump's comments came hours before the expected strikes.
Trump later told reporters at the White House that the US and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend that would reopen shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Stocks added to their rebound from the prior session's sell-off on the news.
Chipmakers lead gains
Chipmaker shares rallied and gave the S&P 500 its biggest boost, with the PHLX Semiconductor Index rising 7.9 per cent in its biggest one-day percentage gain since April 2025.
“Our technical indicators are looking relatively oversold here,” said Robert Phipps, a director at Per Stirling Capital Management in Austin, Texas.
“Just as we had gone up too far, too fast, we came down too far, too fast.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 929.97 points, or 1.86 per cent, to 50,848.75, the S&P 500 gained 127.31 points, or 1.75 per cent, to 7,394.30 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 640.16 points, or 2.54 per cent, to 25,809.66.
The S&P 500 has pulled back since hitting a record closing high in early June, with the Middle East conflict stoking inflationary pressures.
SpaceX set for market debut
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 technology index confirmed a correction.
On Friday, all eyes will be on SpaceX shares, which are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq.
SpaceX on Thursday priced the biggest-ever US initial public offering at US$135 (A$191) per share, making Musk's rocket and spacecraft manufacturer one of the world's most valuable companies.
The IPO raised a record US$75 billion (A$106 billion) on the sale of 555.56 million shares.
It valued the company at US$1.77 trillion (A$2.51 trillion), a record for an initial offering.
“Where the stock is priced at is step one, but how the market digests the news is step two, and that, to me, is really, really important,” said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of 50 Park Investments in New York.
“The most important thing for investors to realise is the time frame for their investment.”
Inflation concerns remain
Among the day's decliners, Oracle shares plunged 8.5 per cent after the company projected capital spending plans for fiscal 2027 above Wall Street estimates.
Feeding inflation worries, data showed US producer prices increased more than expected in May, leading to the largest annual gain in more than three years.
Separately, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits increased marginally last week.
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at its policy meeting next week, with investors pricing in at least one 25 basis point rate hike by the end of the year.
