Tuesday Apr 21, 2026
Tuesday Apr 21, 2026
Tuesday, 21 April 2026 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Wall Street eased from record highs on Monday and oil prices spiked as increasing tensions over the crucial Strait of Hormuz gave rise to concerns that the fragile US-Iran ceasefire might not hold.
All three major US stock indexes were modestly lower in early trading, putting the Nasdaq on course to snap a 13-day winning streak, its longest since January 1992.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 111.32 points, or 0.23%, to 49,336.11, the S&P 500 fell 17.88 points, or 0.25%, to 7,108.27 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 99.55 points, or 0.41%, to 24,368.49.
European shares slid on growing concerns that the US -Iran ceasefire agreement could collapse after Iran responded to the US seizure of a cargo ship by refusing to participate in a second round of negotiations.
Fears of ceasefire collapse also sent crude oil prices higher as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely halted.
US crude rose 5.15% to $ 88.21 a barrel and Brent rose to $ 94.86 per barrel, up 4.96% on the day.
US Treasury yields edged higher amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty. The yield on benchmark 10-year notes rose 2.2 basis points to 4.266%, from 4.244% late on Friday. The 30-year bond yield rose 1.4 basis points to 4.8989% from 4.885% late on Friday.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the Yen and the Euro, fell 0.3% to 98.16, with the Euro up 0.09% at $1.1772. Against the Japanese Yen, the dollar strengthened 0.07% to 158.72.
Gold softened as Treasury yields inched higher. Spot gold fell 0.31% to $ 4,813.55 an ounce. US gold futures fell 1.04% to $ 4,807 an ounce.
