U.S. stock markets experienced significant gains on Thursday. As trading concluded in New York, the Dow Jones reached 50,849 points, marking an increase of 1.9% compared to the previous trading day. Earlier in the session, the broader S&P 500 was up 1.8% at approximately 7,394 points, while the technology-focused Nasdaq 100 climbed by 3.3% to reach around 29,446 points.
A central focus of Thursday’s news was the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. President Donald Trump announced that the planned US attack on Iran has been canceled. This shift comes after he had previously announced the strike and threatened “total control” over Iran’s oil production. Instead, Trump signaled that an end to the conflict is anticipated. “The talks and the final points have been approved both in their basic direction and individually by all participating parties,” Trump wrote on his personal platform. Speaking from the White House, he further stated that a “great settlement” has been achieved, and the finalization of documents is expected in the coming days, potentially being signed in Europe over the weekend, according to the U.S. President.
In other areas, crude oil prices fell sharply. At 10 PM Central European Time on Thursday, a barrel of North Sea Brent crude cost $89.08, which is 4.3% (402 cents) less than the close of the previous day.
The European currency gained strength on Thursday evening, with the euro priced at $1.1581, meaning the dollar exchanged for 0.8635 euros. Meanwhile, gold prices registered a strong increase, reaching $4,210 for a fine ounce in the evening-a gain of 3.3%. This equates to a price of 116.89 euros per gram.
