All three major U.S. indexes hit records - the first time that has happened this year

The main indexes of the U.S. market rose at the end of trading on Wednesday, Ma. 27, to new records. This is the first time in 2026, when the highs reached at once S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones, notes MarketWatch. The last time this happened in late October, the publication writes. The price of Brent crude oil fell below $95 per barrel.

Stock markets extended gains and oil edged lower after Iran said it would restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month after reaching a deal with the U.S. and Secretary of State Mark Rubio said Washington had high hopes for diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose only hundredths of a percent as the technology sector rally that had driven the market the day before weakened.

- The S&P 500 broad market index rose 0.02% to a new all-time high of 7,520.46 points.

- The blue-chip index Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.36% to reach 50,644.28 points, which was also a record.

- The Nasdaq Composite Technology Sector Index added 0.07%, hitting a high of 26,674.74 points.

- The Russell 2000 index of small and mid-capitalization companies was down 0.03%.

- Brent crude futures fell by 4.6%, trading below $95 per barrel. North American WTI lost 4.8% of its value - its price fell below $90 per barrel.

- "The situation around Iran remains highly volatile as negotiations for a more sustainable peace agreement continue," reminds Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial. - A significant resumption of movement through the Strait of Hormuz will likely be required for oil prices to move steadily lower." On Wednesday, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, shipping on that route came to a near halt again - after two international supertankers carrying oil passed through the strait the day before.

- According to strategists at Bank of America, the potential for further gains may be dwindling after the rapid rally in U.S. stocks. They warned investors to start preparing for a summer pullback. "The risk/return ratio is deteriorating, and a number of indicators argue in favor of a more defensive stance," BofA analysts wrote in a note to clients, quoted by CNBC. "Base case scenario: maintain trend-following long positions through June and prepare for a summer correction.

- Goldman Sachs strategists said Wednesday that expanding U.S. corporate earnings, fueled by the AI boom, will continue to lift stocks and raised their year-end target for the S&P 500 to 8,000 points, Bloomberg reports. That target implies a potential upside of about 6.4% from current levels.

Speaking at the White House, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that some progress has been made in negotiations with Iran. President Donald Trump prefers diplomacy, but if it doesn't work, he has other options, Rubio said, probably referring to new military strikes, CNBC writes. "The bottom line is that we prefer the path of diplomacy and we will give it every chance to succeed," the TV channel quoted the Secretary of State as saying.

At the same time, Trump said he was "not satisfied" with the talks, Bloomberg reported, promising that he would not allow Tehran to control the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil supplies passed before the war. "The strait will be open to everyone," the president said. The statement came after Iranian state television reported on a draft interim peace deal. It said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could return to normal within a month of the deal taking effect - on the condition that Iran manage ship traffic through the strait with the cooperation of Oman.

Both Iran and the U.S. said last week that the talks were making progress. Rubio reiterated Wednesday that "there is some progress and some interest, and we'll see in the coming hours and days," Bloomberg quoted him as saying. Ali Bagheri-Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said at the same time: "Until we have agreed on all issues, we believe we have not agreed on anything."

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor