The three major New York stock indexes opened higher together on the 18th, local time, on news that the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war.
As of 9:35 a.m., on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 359.55 points, or 0.70%, from the previous session, at 51,852.10.
The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 rose 66.95 points, or 0.90%, to 7,487.05, and the Nasdaq composite was up 259.13 points, or 1.00%, at 26,280.79 in transaction.
Tech and semiconductor stocks are leading the gains. Intel shares surged 9.82% early after news it would partner with Apple to design and produce semiconductors. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that "Apple has agreed to partner with Intel to design and produce chips in the United States."
Shares of Marvell Technology, a data-transfer semiconductor designer, and Applied Materials, a semiconductor equipment company, rose 6.42% and 6.49%, respectively.
With oil prices falling, shares of airlines and cruise operators rose. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines gained 2.56% and 2.55%, respectively. Carnival and Royal Caribbean jumped 3.18% and 3.07%, respectively.
International oil prices fell. At the same time, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for July 2026 delivery, the nearest-month contract, was down 2.06% from the previous session at $74.73 a barrel.
Better-than-expected employment data are also lifting stocks. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims for the week of June 7–13 were 226,000, down 4,000 from a week earlier. Analysts said the U.S. job market continues to show solid momentum.