US equities traded higher on Monday afternoon, supported by a modest pullback in benchmark oil prices and a decline in bond yields, as investors grew more optimistic that a deal between the US and Iran would eventually be reached. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 each advanced more than 0.5%, led by gains in software and application stocks, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered just above the flatline.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement over the weekend, prompting President Trump to announce a blockade on Iranian oil shipments. However, Trump later said that Iran had made contact and was now seeking to resume negotiations, helping to underpin risk sentiment.
Shares of Oracle, Palantir, CrowdStrike, and ServiceNow each jumped more than 5%. In contrast, banks and asset managers were mixed ahead of this week’s earnings reports, which are expected to shed light on their exposure to higher yields and potential vulnerabilities linked to private credit. Goldman Sachs was the first major bank to report, falling 4% after missing revenue estimates in its fixed-income, currencies, and commodities trading division.
