S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit Records on Ceasefire and Iran Talks

U.S. stocks rose Thursday, with the S&P 500 closing at a record 7,041.28 and the Nasdaq Composite at a record 24,102.70. The S&P gained 0.26% and the Nasdaq 0.36%, each setting intraday and closing records. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.24%, to finish at 48,578.72. For the week, the S&P is up about 3.3%, the Nasdaq about 5.2% and the Dow just over 1%. The Nasdaq posted its 12th straight positive session, its longest winning streak since 2009.

The rally followed comments from former President Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that “Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire set to begin at 5 p.m. ET.” He added that the next round of in-person U.S.-Iran talks could take place “probably, maybe, next weekend.” Earlier this week he described the Iran war as “very close to over” and stated Tehran wants to “make a deal very badly.” A speaker in Iran’s parliament has made a halt in Israeli strikes on Lebanon a condition for U.S.-Iran negotiations to begin.

Investors moved into higher-risk assets, with technology names leading sector gains. Stocks tied to quantum computing rose sharply after renewed interest around Nvidia’s release of open-source AI models aimed at quantum applications. Since the start of the week, IonQ and D-Wave Quantum each rose more than 50%, while Quantum Computing and Rigetti Computing climbed over 30%.

Cryptocurrency markets remained elevated on Thursday, with bitcoin trading above $75,000 and holding recent gains alongside equity strength.

Market breadth was broad, with technology and quantum-related names outpacing other sectors. Traders cited the headlines as a factor in the session’s advance. Participants will monitor whether the reported ceasefire and planned talks lead to sustained de-escalation and how upcoming company earnings and economic data interact with the geopolitical developments.