[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] U.S. stocks rose on March 23 (local time) after President Donald Trump signaled a temporary delay in planned strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, raising hopes for de-escalation in Middle East tensions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.38% to close at 46,208.47, while the S&P 500 gained 1.15% to 6,581.00. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.38% to 21,946.76.

Ahead of the market open, Trump said on Truth Social that the United States had held “very good and productive talks” aimed at achieving a “complete and comprehensive resolution” of hostilities. He also announced a five-day delay in potential strikes following earlier warnings that U.S. forces could target energy facilities if Iran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump added that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had engaged with senior Iranian officials. However, Iran denied that any negotiations had taken place, with a foreign ministry spokesperson stating that there had been no talks with the United States in the past 24 hours, according to IRNA.

Brent crude prices fluctuated sharply during the session but closed below $100 per barrel. U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar both declined, while markets began to price in the possibility of interest rate cuts later this year.

Among individual stocks, Palantir Technologies rose more than 4% following a Reuters report that the U.S. Department of Defense is set to adopt its “Maven” system as a core AI platform for military targeting. MongoDB also gained about 4% after Mizuho upgraded its rating, citing potential benefits from the expansion of artificial intelligence despite broader concerns over its impact on the software sector.

 

 

 

[ⓒ 알파경제. 무단전재-재배포 금지]