As optimism over U.S.-Iran cease-fire talks persisted, the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 index and the Nasdaq composite hit a record high.
On the 15th (local time) in New York stock trading, the S&P 500 index rose 55.58 points (0.80%) from the previous session to close at 7,022.95. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 72.27 points (-0.15%) to 48,463.72, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite also ended 376.93 points (1.59%) higher at 24,016.02.
This is the first time the S&P 500 has surpassed the 7,000 mark on a closing basis. The Nasdaq index also set a record high for the first time in six months since Oct. 29 last year, extending its gains for an 11th straight trading day.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox Business that the timing of the end of the war with Iran would be "over soon," fueling market optimism over cease-fire talks.
As first-quarter earnings season began, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup released stronger-than-expected results, which is seen as helping revive suppressed investor sentiment.
Morgan Stanley also posted results that exceeded market expectations in succession, jumping 8.28%. Bank of America likewise showed gains of around 1%.
Semiconductor company Broadcom rose 4.19% on news it signed a deal with Meta to expand production of artificial intelligence (AI) chips, leading tech gains.
The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) said in its Beige Book economic survey that "the Middle East conflict was cited as a major uncertainty complicating decision-making related to employment, pricing and capital investment," while noting that "overall economic activity was found to have increased."