On April 7, Eastern Time, the three major U.S. stock indices closed with mixed results. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.1%, the S&P 500 increased by 0.08%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.18%. Both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 recorded their fifth consecutive day of gains.
In after-hours trading (early morning April 8, Beijing time), according to a Xinhua News Agency report, former President Trump announced an agreement for a two-week ceasefire. In response, futures for the three major U.S. stock indices rose by over 2% each. International precious metals prices surged sharply, with spot gold climbing above $4,800 per ounce and spot silver rising nearly 5%. International oil prices experienced a significant decline, with Brent crude falling nearly 6% and New York futures oil dropping over 15% to $95.8 per barrel.
Among technology giants, performance was mixed. Google's parent company Alphabet gained over 2%, while Amazon, Meta Platforms, and NVIDIA saw slight increases. Tesla fell by 1.75%, and Apple declined over 2%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose more than 1%, with most popular chip stocks advancing. Broadcom surged over 6% after announcing it would supply TPU chips to Google and provide computing power to Anthropic. Intel increased over 4%, and Seagate Technology rose 3.4%, continuing to reach new historical highs with a cumulative gain of over 70% year-to-date.
Most popular U.S.-listed Chinese stocks declined, as the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index fell nearly 1%. Lianzhang Menhu dropped over 6%, and Canadian Solar decreased over 5%. Alibaba fell more than 2%. On the gaining side, Xiao-i Corporation and Huachen Technology soared over 140%.
Airline stocks declined across the board, with Alaska Air Group falling nearly 3%, and United Airlines and Delta Air Lines each dropping close to 2%.
In commodities, spot gold initially fell to $4,610 per ounce, and spot silver dropped below $70 per ounce during the session. However, both opened higher today with sharp upward movements. As of 7:10 Beijing time, spot gold rose above $4,800, and spot silver reached $76, gaining nearly 5% intraday.
International oil prices experienced a steep decline. New York futures oil erased its daytime gains, closing down 2%, while ICE Brent crude fell nearly 5%. The sell-off continued in early trading today, with New York futures oil now down 15% to $95.8 per barrel, and Brent crude at $103.3 per barrel, a decline of 5.84%.
Cryptocurrencies rallied across the board. Bitcoin rose 3.31% to $71,144, Ethereum gained nearly 4%, and Dogecoin increased over 4%.
Regarding the news, according to a CCTV report, former U.S. President Trump stated on the 7th that he agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks. Trump mentioned, "We have received a ten-point proposal from Iran and consider it a feasible basis for negotiations. The U.S. and Iran have nearly reached consensus on various disputed points, but the two-week period will allow the agreement to be finalized and completed."
A CCTV report indicated that Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued a statement in the early hours of the 8th, accepting a ceasefire proposal from Pakistan based on the recommendation of the Supreme Leader and approval from the Supreme National Security Council. Negotiations with the United States are scheduled to begin on April 10 in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, lasting for two weeks.
Citing U.S. sources from the 7th, a CCTV report noted that White House officials stated Israel has also agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
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