NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – After their recent strong run, the US stock markets went into reverse on Thursday. Traders cited the development of oil prices as the reason. A barrel (159 liters) of North Sea Brent for delivery in July was recently only slightly in the red, after the price had previously fallen significantly.
The Dow Jones Industrial closed 0.63 percent lower at 49,596.97 points after initially briefly climbing above the 50,000 point mark. The market-wide S&P 500 initially reached a record high, but turned negative and ultimately lost 0.38 percent to 7,337.11 points. In the end, the NASDAQ 100 fell by 0.12 percent to 28,563.95 points after the technology-heavy selection index had also initially reached another high.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US is considering resuming the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported several explosions in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian Fars news agency reported that sounds of explosions were heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas on the southern coast. There were also exchanges of fire between Iranian forces and the “enemy”.
Iran’s government says it is continuing to examine a negotiation proposal from the USA. Washington had submitted a unilateral 14-point declaration of intent to Tehran. The aim is, among other things, to create a framework for negotiations that will initially last 30 days in order to end the war.
After initial clear gains, McDonald’s shares (McDonalds) ultimately fell by 0.1 percent. The quick-service restaurant chain’s consolidated sales and adjusted profit were surprisingly good in the first quarter. However, there is likely to be a noticeable slowdown in sales development in the second quarter, said company boss Chris Kempczinski. The mood of consumers is getting a little worse. In addition, the Iran war increases the risk of inflation.
Tesla shares rose by 3.3 percent. The electric car manufacturer announced delivery figures in China for April and reported an increase of 36 percent compared to the previous year.
Citigroup shares gained 1.2 percent. The US bank wants to buy back shares worth $30 billion, but the market had hoped for an even larger volume.
Arm Holdings (Arm) warned of a slowdown in the smartphone industry, which would affect a crucial source of income for the company. However, the chip designer expects that growth in AI data centers will more than offset this slump. The arm stocks lost more than 10 percent.
The shares of Datadog (Datadog A) recorded the strongest price increase in more than six years with a price increase of up to 38 percent, coming very close to their record high of November 2025. Ultimately, there was a profit of a good 31 percent. The software developer increased annual sales and profit targets, far exceeding Wall Street’s expectations./edh/he
