New York stocks opened mixed as armed clashes between the United States and Iran flared again. With geopolitical uncertainty weighing on investor sentiment, profit-taking continued, centered on semiconductor shares.
As of 9:37 a.m. on the 13th, the Dow Jones Industrial Average on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) rose 96.85 points, or 0.18%, to 52,733.86 from the previous close. In contrast, the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 fell 14.94 points, or 0.20%, to 7,560.45, and the Nasdaq declined 187.18 points, or 0.71%, to 26,094.43.
The market reacted sensitively to news that military clashes between the United States and Iran had resumed. Iran's state TV reported that southern areas, including the western outskirts of Bandar Abbas at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Qeshm, Jask, Bushehr Province, and Khuzestan Province, were attacked.
Iran continued retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries where U.S. bases are located. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said in a statement, citing Article 5 of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States, that "the Strait of Hormuz remains closed."
U.S. President Donald Trump also said in a Fox News interview the same day, "We will protect it (the Strait of Hormuz), and we will be paid for protecting it," emphasizing, "We will receive a lot of money."
Still, some expectations for a diplomatic solution remained. Esmail Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said mediators had continued diplomatic efforts for talks between the United States and Iran until recently, which limited the stock market's losses to some extent.
Semiconductor shares were broadly weak. SK hynix American depositary receipts (ADR), which completed their first Nasdaq transaction successfully last week, fell 8.10% on the day. Micron Technology dropped 6.79%, SanDisk 9.28%, and Seagate Technology 6.01%, as memory chip stocks weakened in tandem.
Alex Giuliano, chief investment officer (CIO) at Resonant Wealth Partners, said, "The escalating dispute between the United States and Iran is testing whether the stock market's broad rally can be sustained," adding, "The market will have to balance the positive factor of strong corporate earnings with the negative of geopolitical risk."
He added, "Still, the fact that demand for U.S. equity offerings was stronger than expected suggests the memory-chip rally may not have peaked but could be taking a brief breather."
By sector, energy and consumer staples gained on higher global oil prices, while technology and industrials weakened. Valero Energy rose 3.90%, and APA Corporation climbed 3.56%.
Major European stocks were mixed at the same time. The Euro Stoxx 50 moved slightly lower, while Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 rose modestly. Britain's FTSE 100 declined.
Global oil prices also extended gains. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for August 2026 rose 3.19% from the previous session to $73.69 per barrel in transaction.