Stocks rise as oil and Treasury yields jump on Middle East risk

The big picture. U.S. stocks finish higher across the board. The S&P 500 rises 0.9% to 7509.2, the Nasdaq gains 1.3% to 25837.2, the Dow adds 0.7% to 52224.6, and the Russell 2000 outperforms with a 1.5% climb to 2987.4.

Tech leads sector gains with a 2.9% advance, followed by Energy at 1.0% and Health at 0.6%. Staples slips 0.9%, Communication Services falls 0.7%, and Real Estate edges down 0.1%. The S&P 500 spends the day grinding higher, with the intraday path showing an early dip, a steady climb, and a late push to a new high before fading slightly into the close.

The macro backdrop stays tense. Brent jumps 3.8% to 94.43 and WTI rises 3.1% to 87.52, while the 10-year Treasury yield climbs 0.7% to 4.628 and the VIX rises 2.9% to 17.55. Headlines on Iran, Hormuz, and fresh U.S. strikes line up with the move in oil and volatility, while Reuters says Wall Street ends higher on a chip-stock recovery.

Crypto is softer. Bitcoin falls 1.1% to 65785.2578, Ethereum drops 0.8% to 1912.34, and the total crypto market cap slips 0.7% to 2.324T. Even so, Bitcoin and Ethereum both stay above their 50-day averages, while BTC remains below its 200-day line.