By Caitlin McCabe
President Trump's cease-fire extension is setting U.S. stocks up for a rebound after two straight days of declines.
Oil traders, however, aren't feeling so optimistic, with Brent crude rising to just under $100 a barrel after two ships were targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks underscore the complexities playing out across the region. While the aerial war between the U.S. and Iran is on pause, the fight for control of the crucial waterway continues, leaving commercial shipping in the crossfire.
Even so, investors are still running full-speed into stocks, seemingly more worried about missing out on a rally that has carried the S&P 500 up more than 11% from its March lows.
Traders' mood has also been buoyed by a strong earnings season, which continues today with reports from Boeing, Tesla, IBM and Southwest Airlines. Nearly one-sixth of S&P 500 companies has reported results so far, and roughly 85% of them beat expectations, according to FactSet.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 22, 2026 05:16 ET (09:16 GMT)
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