U.S. stock indices closed mixed in the early hours of April 16 Beijing time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 0.15%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index achieved its eleventh consecutive day of gains, closing at a record high. The S&P 500 also reached a historic peak, closing above the 7000-point mark for the first time. Both indices marked their first record highs since the onset of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.
Major technology stocks generally advanced. Tesla surged 7.6%, Microsoft climbed over 4%, and Apple gained nearly 3%. Nvidia, Google, and Meta each rose more than 1%. On Wednesday, Tesla's CEO announced that the company's AI chip design team had completed development of the AI5 autonomous driving chip, moving Tesla a step closer to mass production.
Popular semiconductor stocks, however, trended lower. SanDisk dropped over 5%, Micron Technology fell 2%, while ASML and Seagate Technology declined approximately 2.5%. Broadcom increased over 4%.
Most leading Chinese ADRs saw gains, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index rising 0.75%. Pony.ai advanced 7.8%, Zai Lab and Boss Zhipin increased over 5%, while Baidu and NetEase each rose 2%. On the downside, chemical stock Dexsen plunged 21%, and U Power dropped more than 9%.
Sectors including cryptocurrency concepts, AI software applications, and automobile manufacturing led the gains, while gold and U.S. infrastructure stocks were among the decliners.
Gold and silver prices experienced a pullback after rising yesterday. Spot gold broke through $4800 after the market opened today, currently trading at $4805 per ounce, with silver at $79.35 per ounce.
International oil prices opened slightly lower. West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $90.98 per barrel, while Brent crude was at $94.78 per barrel.
Cryptocurrencies rallied broadly. Bitcoin climbed above $75,000, gaining over 1.5% for the day. Ethereum rose more than 2.5%, and Dogecoin increased over 3%.
The United States announced a new round of sanctions related to Iran. Reports indicated that the U.S. Treasury Department's website listed new sanctions targeting Iran and counter-terrorism measures, designating 3 individuals, 17 entities, and 9 vessels.
A former U.S. leader suggested that strikes against Iran would continue. According to media reports, the former president stated that he believed the war with Iran was "nearing its end," but also implied that U.S. strikes would persist if necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran will assess whether to hold the next round of talks with the United States. Following a meeting with a delegation led by Pakistan's Army Chief, Iranian officials stated that necessary evaluations would be conducted before deciding on further negotiations with the U.S.
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