US stocks advanced on Monday, with the Nasdaq 100 up 0.8%, the S&P 500 rising 0.6%, and the Dow gaining 0.5%, supported in part by hopes for a Middle East ceasefire. Volatility remained elevated as traders weighed conflicting reports of a proposed 45-day truce against an 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline for potential military escalation. Reports of a possible framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz briefly pressured energy markets, but crude futures ultimately closed higher, above $112 per barrel.
Large-cap technology names were a key driver of the broader indexes, with Alphabet and Amazon each climbing more than 1%, and Micron Technology jumping 3.2%. These advances helped counter a 2.2% decline in Tesla and a 1% drop in Eli Lilly. Still, despite more optimistic rhetoric around diplomatic efforts, caution persisted, as investors may be underestimating the longer-term economic fallout from regional energy disruptions and a prolonged period of elevated fuel costs.
