Iran negotiations push New York stock market higher, tech stocks soar

The New York stock market collectively rose at the opening on the 1st (local time), due to news of Iran transmitting a new negotiation plan, which boosted expectations of easing geopolitical tensions.

At 10:21 a.m. that day, on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 315.96 points (0.64%) from the previous trading day, to 49,968.10 points; the S&P 500 index increased by 60.93 points (0.85%), to 7,269.94 points; and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rose 290.26 points (1.17%), to 25,182.57 points. Investors focused on signals that the Middle East situation might not worsen further, which renewed risk appetite.

What changed the market atmosphere was the possibility of negotiations between Iran and the United States. Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that Iran had conveyed its latest negotiation plan with the U.S. to Pakistan on the 30th of last month, and CBS also confirmed this, stating that Pakistani officials are optimistic and believe the agreement may be closer to being reached than before. Previously, Iran proposed to the U.S. last weekend to prioritize opening the Strait of Hormuz and declared a ceasefire, then continue nuclear negotiations, but U.S. President Donald Trump did not accept it. However, with the new proposal being transmitted again, financial markets are now more focused on the possibility of restarting negotiations rather than concerns about full-scale conflict.

Another major pillar supporting the stock market is expectations for the performance of the U.S. economy and technology companies. Barclays’ U.S. equity strategist Venoo Krishnan commented that the strong economic outlook and the tech stock investment narrative remain effective. He diagnosed that the recent rebound has been very rapid, and there may be some consolidation in the short term, but the overall upward trend remains solid. Looking at industry sectors, except for communications and industrials, most sectors rose, with large tech and software stocks leading the index higher.

In individual stocks, performance results led to significant stock price divergence. Apple’s second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (January to March this year) sales increased 17% year-over-year to $111.18 billion, hitting a quarterly record high, and its stock price rose 5.22% on this news. Enterprise software company Atlassian’s third-quarter sales were $1.79B, exceeding market expectations of $1.7B, and earnings per share reached $1.75, higher than the expected $1.33, causing its stock to soar 19.72%. The same software sector stock Salesforce also rose 1.47%. Conversely, online gaming platform Roblox lowered its annual booking sales guidance to $7.33 billion to $7.6 billion, well below the previous forecast of $8.29 billion to $8.55 billion, leading to a 17.57% plunge in its stock price.

In other asset markets, the more direct reflection of risk easing expectations is evident. Regarding international oil prices, as of the same time, the near-month contract for June 2026 delivery of West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 4.16% from the previous trading day, to $100.71 per barrel. This is because if Middle East unrest eases, concerns about supply disruptions will also decrease. Most European stock markets were closed for Labor Day, with the FTSE 100 down 0.29% from the previous trading day. The future trend will likely depend on the progress of Middle East negotiations and the momentum of large U.S. tech companies’ earnings, both of which will influence the short-term direction of the New York stock market.