Amid Tense U.S.-Iran Relations, New York Stocks Fluctuate Up and Down… Intel’s Artificial Intelligence Hype Sparks “Firestarter”

The major stock indexes on Wall Street diverged on the 24th as the market weighed whether the conflict between the United States and Iran would be resolved through diplomatic channels or whether military tensions would further intensify.

As of 10:02 a.m. that day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average on the New York Stock Exchange was down 188.39 points (0.38%) from the prior trading day, at 49,121.93. The S&P 500 was up 14.45 points (0.20%) at 7,122.85, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 160.09 points (0.66%) to 24,598.59. While the market focused on the situation in the Middle East, some stocks’ and industries’ earnings expectations supported the indexes.

What slightly steadied investor sentiment was news about Iran’s diplomatic leader’s trip. Mehr, a semi-official Iranian news agency, reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would visit Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow sequentially starting that evening. It was understood that the purpose of the visit is to hold bilateral consultations, discuss regional hot-button issues, and respond to recent U.S. and Israel’s military pressure on Iran. The market viewed the diplomatic itinerary as a factor that, to some extent, reduces the possibility of the conflict escalating immediately.

However, tensions have not been fully eased. In a wartime situation briefing, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that any further attempt by Iran to lay mines would constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement, and said that he would maintain a maritime blockade of Iran as needed. The remarks were made after Iran laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. The Strait of Hormuz is a key passage for global crude oil transportation, and if military tensions in the area intensify, it could affect energy prices, consumer prices, and companies’ overall costs—something financial markets are highly sensitive to.

On individual stocks, corporate results and outlooks caused sharp swings in share prices. Against the backdrop of expanding demand for artificial intelligence (AI) agents, Intel issued a second-quarter revenue forecast of $13.8 billion to $14.8 billion, higher than the market’s expectation of $13.0 billion, sending its stock up 21.77%. Driven by this, expectations for AI investment became active again: Arm Holdings rose 6.79%, and Lam Research Group rose 4.13%. Procter & Gamble (P&G), a consumer staples company, also reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.59 for its fiscal third quarter and revenue of $21.24 billion, both above market expectations, with its shares up 3.82%. By contrast, Hartford Insurance Group reported an adjusted first-quarter EPS of $3.09, below expectations of $3.39, and its stock fell 1.95%.

In terms of industry sectors, defensive and cyclical stocks showed divergence. Utilities, consumer staples, and industrials strengthened, while technology stocks and consumer discretionary stocks were weak. European stock markets generally fell. The Euro Stoxx 50 index declined 0.25% to 5,879.94 points; the UK FTSE 100 fell 0.65%; Germany’s DAX fell 0.04%; and France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.82%. As for international oil prices, although the original description said prices were falling, at the same time, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price for June 2026 delivery rose 0.49% from the previous trading day to $95.38 per barrel. Mark Malik, Chief Investment Officer at Siebert Financial, analyzed that the market is going through the peak of uncertainty, and funds are flowing into risk-asset markets. In the future, this trend may interact with the actual developments in the Middle East and firms’ earnings expectations, leading to sector and individual-stock divergence rather than an overall rise or fall in the index.