NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks continued their march higher on Tuesday, buoyed by prospects the U.S. and Iran may soon return to the negotiating table in a bid to thrash out an end to the recent war. 

"I don't want to rule out that there could be a re-escalation and more downside from here, but I think it's unlikely. I think the market is already pricing in some level of anxiety about Iran," Ross Mayfield, Baird investment strategist told CNBC Tuesday. "It seems that we're back near all-time highs with a much cleaner positioning incentive and backdrop and on the heels of an earnings season that should kind of facilitate some bullishness as well," Mayfield added.

Meantime the Producer Price Index for final demand was reported to have increased 0.5 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, 

"Final demand prices moved up 0.5 percent in February and 0.6 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. "On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 4.0 percent for the 12 months ended in March, the largest 12-month advance since increasing 4.7 percent in February 2023." "The March rise in final demand prices can be attributed to a 1.6-percent advance in the index for final demand goods," the BLS statement said. "Prices for final demand services were unchanged."

The Standard and Poor's 500 advanced 81.14 points, or 1.18 percent Tuesday, to end the session at 6,967.38. Trading volume for the broad-market index reached 2.969 billion shares. The index traded between a low of 6,905.17 and a high of 6,969.42 during the day. Over the past 52 weeks, the S&P 500 has ranged from 5,101.63 to 7,002.28.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a more modest gain, rising 317.74 points (0.66 percent) to close at 48,535.99. Volume on the Dow totaled 520.129 million shares. The blue-chip index hit a session low of 48,192.30 and a high of 48,592.29. Its 52-week range stands between 37,830.66 and 50,512.79.

The NASDAQ Composite outperformed the other major U.S. indices Tusday, soaring 455.35 points, or 1.96 percent, to finish at 23,639.08. Volume for the tech-heavy index was 7.168 billion shares.

North of the border, Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index also closed higher, adding 223.12 points (0.66 percent) to end at 34,102.36. Volume on the TSX reached 240.167 million shares.

Market analysts attributed Tuesday's gains to renewed investor optimism following a batch of stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and easing concerns over interest rate policy. The Nasdaq's outsized performance reflected particular strength in megacap technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks.

U.S. Dollar Sold Off Tuesday as Euro, Pound and Antipodeans Gain;

The U.S. dollar ended Tuesday's trading session weaker against its major peers, losing ground to the euro, British pound, and commodity-linked currencies while slipping as well against the Japanese yen and Swiss franc.

The euro strengthened against the greenback, with the EUR/USD pair rising 0.29 percent to close at 1.1792. A single euro now buys $1.1792.

The British pound posted one of the day's strongest gains. GBP/USD advanced 0.43 percent to finish at 1.3563, meaning one pound sterling purchases $1.3563.

Antipodean currencies also performed well. The Australian dollar climbed 0.47 percent versus the U.S. dollar, with AUD/USD settling at 0.7126. The New Zealand dollar rose even more sharply, gaining 0.62 percent to end at 0.5902 for NZD/USD.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar gained ground against the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. The USD/JPY pair, which measures the dollar against the yen, slipped 0.36 percent to 158.84 — meaning the dollar weakened slightly, so the yen strengthened. In addition, the dollar fell against the Swiss franc: USD/CHF fell 0.18 percent to 0.7812, indicating a weaker dollar.

In North American trading, the Canadian dollar edged higher against its U.S. counterpart. USD/CAD declined 0.15 percent to 1.3770, meaning one U.S. dollar now buys 1.3770 Canadian dollars.

Global Markets Close Mostly Higher on Tuesday; Canadian, uK, European and Asian Indices Rally

Global stock markets posted a mostly positive session on Tuesday, with major indices across Canada, the UK, Europe and Asia closing firmly in the green, according to final trading data. Only a handful of benchmarks, including India's BSE Sensex and New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50, finished the day in negative territory.

UK and European markets saw broad-based gains. London's FTSE 100 closed at 10,609.06, adding 26.10 points, or 0.25 percent. Germany's DAX P index surged 301.78 points to end at 24,044.22, a gain of 1.27 percent. France's CAC 40 rose 91.88 points, or 1.12 percent, finishing the session at 8,327.86.

The broader EURO STOXX 50 I index jumped 79.49 points (1.35 percent) to settle at 5,984.51, while the Euronext 100 Index climbed 16.27 points (0.89 percent) to 1,846.36. Belgium's BEL 20 also advanced, rising 59.06 points (1.09 percent) to 5,485.91.

Asian-Pacific markets also delivered strong performances. Japan's Nikkei 225 led the rally, skyrocketing 1,374.62 points to close at 57,877.39, a gain of 2.43 percent. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index jumped 159.13 points, or 2.74 percent, to finish at 5,967.75. The TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index in Taiwan added 838.83 points (2.37 percent) to end at 36,296.12.

Elsewhere in the region Tuesday, Indonesia's IDX Composite climbed 175.76 points (2.34 percent) to 7,675.95, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 44.80 points (0.50 percent) to 8,970.80, with the broader ALL ORDINARIES index up 51.70 points (0.57 percent) at 9,165.10. Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX gained 211.47 points (0.82 percent), closing at 25,872.32, while Singapore's STI Index added 23.40 points (0.47 percent) to finish at 5,007.57. Malaysia's FTSE Bursa KLCI rose 7.60 points (0.45 percent) to 1,688.12, and Israel's TA-125 advanced 62.04 points (1.45 percent) to 4,335.08.

In Africa, Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index rose sharply, adding 900.00 points (1.83 percent) to close at 49,978.60 on volume of 330.942 million. South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index also finished higher, gaining 164.87 points (2.29 percent) to end at 7,371.68. China's SSE Composite Index closed at 4,026.63, up 38.07 points (0.95 percent), with volume of 1.191 billion shares.

Among the few decliners, India's S&P BSE SENSEX fell 702.68 points, or 0.91 percent, to close at 76,847.57. New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS dipped slightly, losing 2.92 points (0.02 percent) to finish at 13,017.26.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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Monday 13 April 2027 | Wall Street edgs higher as Iran-U.S. continue saber rattling | Big News Network.com