Stock Market Update
Last Updated: 21-Apr-26 16:30 ET | Archive
Get frequent stock market updates that focus on broad U.S. and international markets approximately every half-hour starting at 6 a.m. ET with foreign market and U.S. futures summaries and market briefs. Get up to speed on premarket activity such as stock specific news headlines, ratings changes, earnings, economic events, and futures as well as overnight developments from Asian and European equity and foreign exchange market activity. After the open, not only will our market briefing keep you updated on market action, data, and events, but we’ll also keep you abreast of sector and industry performance as well as market sentiment and flow. Shortly after the close, our final stock market update provides a concise review of the day’s market action and events and highlights key items that may have an impact on the stock market on the following trading day.
Market Snapshot
| Dow | 49149.51 | -293.18 | (-0.59%) |
| Nasdaq | 24259.97 | -144.43 | (-0.59%) |
| SP 500 | 6991.00 | -45.13 | (-0.64%) |
| 10-yr Note | |||
| NYSE | Adv 758 | Dec 1980 | Vol 1.14 bln |
| Nasdaq | Adv 1303 | Dec 3467 | Vol 9.36 bln |
Industry Watch
| Strong: Energy |
| Weak: Health Care, Industrials, Materials, Communication Services, Consumer Staples, Real Estate, Utilities, Financials, Consumer Discretionary, Information Technology |
Moving the Market
--Sizable bach of earnings reports with some notable moves in the mix --Stocks gave back early gains as next round of U.S.-Iran talks put on hold |
Choppy session as earnings ramp up meets ceasefire uncertainty
21-Apr-26 16:30 ET Dow -293.18
at 49149.51,
Nasdaq -144.43
at 24259.97,
S&P -45.13
at 6991.00
[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market had a relatively busy day today, with a significant wave of earnings reports, continued geopolitical volatility, and a smattering of corporate headlines from some of the market's largest companies giving investors plenty to assess. The market is also likely still digesting the scope of its recent push into record territory.
The S&P 500 (-0.6%), Nasdaq Composite (-0.6%), and DJIA (-0.6%) spent the first two hours or so of the session with solid gains before retreating as oil prices spiked amid reports that Iran may not send delegates to Pakistan for the next round of negotiations with the U.S. The 10-day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire tomorrow, adding a heightened sense of uncertainty to the situation as President Trump has threatened renewed strikes against Iran if a deal is not struck. The market moved to session lows in the final hour of trading after CNBC reported that Iran will not attend talks in Pakistan unless the U.S. "abandons its threats," and The Associated Press reported Vice President JD Vance called off his trip to Pakistan, where he was set to lead the U.S. side of negotiations.
Crude oil futures settled today's session $2.40 higher (+2.7%) at $91.80 per barrel, with the bump giving investors pause after the recent rally to record highs signaled that markets may have largely looked past the conflict or already priced in a path toward de-escalation.
Participation was weak in the broader market, with only the energy sector (+1.3%) finishing in positive territory. The sector was supported by the increase in oil prices and a nice move from Halliburton (HAL 38.15, +1.47, +4.01%) after the company beat earnings expectations.
The top-weighted information technology sector (-0.2%) was a relative outperformer, though it could not maintain its modest gain in the final hour of the session. Software names posted another winning session, with Microsoft (MSFT 424.16, +6.09, +1.46%) a mega-cap standout amid a weak showing for the market's largest names, and the iShares GS Software ETF advancing 0.5%.
Those gains were largely offset by weakness in Apple (AAPL 266.17, -6.88, -2.52%) after the company announced CEO Tim Cook will step down, with John Ternus set to take his place on September 1. NVIDIA (NVDA 199.88, -2.18, -1.08%) also charted a lower course.
The consumer discretionary sector (-0.5%) also moved into negative territory late in the session. Amazon (AMZN 249.91, +1.63, +0.66%) notched a modest gain after announcing an expanded partnership with Anthropic, highlighted by a potential $25 billion incremental investment and a commitment from Anthropic to spend over $100 billion on AWS over the next decade.
Elsewhere in the sector, homebuilders moved higher after D.R. Horton (DHI 162.20, +8.86, +5.78%) turned in a solid earnings report, while Tractor Supply (TSCO 39.57, -5.24, -11.69%) was the worst-performing S&P 500 component after missing earnings estimates.
Earnings were a key driver of price action in the broader market, with most of today's batch easily topping estimates. Northern Trust (NTRS 171.74, +12.75, +8.02%) was the best-performing S&P 500 component, while UnitedHealth (UNH 346.01, +22.53, +6.96%) was the top Dow component.
However, several notable names beat estimates but issued softer guidance, resulting in sharp retreats today. Northrop Grumman (NOC 611.13, -45.85, -6.98%) and GE Aerospace (GE 286.73, -16.87, -5.56%) were examples of this trend, which weighed heavily on the industrials sector (-1.4%).
Elsewhere, the real estate sector (-1.9%) faced the widest loss as treasury yields moved higher today.
Outside of the S&P 500, the smaller-cap Russell 2000 (-1.2%) and S&P Mid Cap 400 (-0.6%) followed a similar trajectory to the major averages.
All told, today's session underscored the challenges the market faces as it attempts to push deeper into record territory. While investors have largely looked past the U.S.-Iran conflict, it remains a potential source of volatility through its impact on oil prices and broader risk sentiment. More importantly, elevated energy costs could begin to pressure margins as earnings season comes into focus, making guidance critical in determining whether current growth expectations can hold.
U.S. Treasuries retreated on Tuesday with shorter tenors extending their losses from Monday while the long bond reluctantly followed after holding its ground yesterday. The 2-year note yield settled up six basis points to 3.78%, and the 10-year note yield settled up four basis points to 4.29%.
- Russell 2000: +11.4% YTD
- S&P Mid Cap 400: +10.4% YTD
- Nasdaq Composite: +4.4% YTD
- S&P 500: +3.2% YTD
- DJIA: +2.3% YTD
Reviewing today's data:
- March Retail Sales 1.7% (Briefing.com consensus 1.3%); Prior was revised to 0.7% from 0.6%, March Retail Sales, ex-auto 1.9% (Briefing.com consensus 0.9%); Prior was revised to 0.7% from 0.5%
- The key takeaway from the report is that retail sales look great from a headline perspective, but higher gas prices and higher prices in general were the main drivers. Excluding gasoline sales, retail sales were up 0.6% month-over-month, which looks good, but remember retail sales are not adjusted for price changes. Accordingly, it becomes evident that the sales gains in March were driven more by higher prices than increased volume, which is a better indication of demand.
- February Business Inventories 0.4% (Briefing.com consensus 0.1%); Prior -0.1%
- March Pending Home Sales 1.5% (Briefing.com consensus 0.5%); Prior was revised to 2.5% from 1.8%
Major averages improved from session lows
21-Apr-26 15:30 ET Dow -80.77
at 49361.92,
Nasdaq -8.29
at 24396.11,
S&P -8.80
at 7027.33
[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (-0.1%), Nasdaq Composite (flat), and DJIA (-0.1%) are off their session lows late in the afternoon.
At the sector level, gains remain limited to the energy (+1.1%) and information technology (+0.3%) sectors.
Software names continue to outperform today, while hardware and computer peripheral names such as NetApp (NTAP 112.50, +5.72, +5.35%) and Dell (DELL 213.64, +9.40, +4.60%) post even wider gains.
Still, upside in the sector remains capped as Apple (AAPL 268.08, -4.97, -1.82%) and NVIDIA (NVDA 200.87, -1.19, -0.59%) both trade lower today.
Market charts lower course as U.S.-Iran talks seemingly on hold
21-Apr-26 14:55 ET Dow -233.39
at 49209.30,
Nasdaq -33.34
at 24371.06,
S&P -97.58
at 6938.55
[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 50 (-0.5%), Nasdaq Composite (-0.4%), and DJIA (-0.5%) remain modestly lower as the market enters the final hour of the session.
The latest reports suggest that the next round of talks between the U.S. and Iran may not happen this week, with The New York Times reporting that Vice President JD Vance's flight to Pakistan has been put on hold after Iran failed to respond to U.S. negotiation conditions.
Crude oil futures settled today's session $2.40 higher (+2.7%) at $91.80 per barrel.
S&P 500 Lags as TSCO, SATS, and PRU Sink; HPQ Outperforms
21-Apr-26 14:30 ET Dow -218.78
at 49223.91,
Nasdaq -99.58
at 24304.82,
S&P -34.38
at 7001.75
[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (-0.48%) is in last place on Tuesday afternoon, down about 35 points.
Briefly, S&P 500 constituents Tractor Supply (TSCO 39.35, -5.46, -12.18%), EchoStar (SATS 124.40, -10.71, -7.93%), and Prudential (PRU 95.96, -6.64, -6.47%) dot the bottom of the standings. TSCO falls on this morning's Q1 miss and soft comps, SATS falls as recent gains are unwound, with lingering concerns around debt, business disputes, and some insider selling weighing on sentiment, while PRU dips on reports of customer fraud at the company's Gibraltar Life subsidiary.
Meanwhile, HP Inc. (HPQ 21.18, +1.59, +8.12%) is strong despite a dearth of corporate news.
Gold drops 2.3% as stronger dollar and higher yields weigh on prices despite geopolitical risks
21-Apr-26 14:00 ET Dow -115.68
at 49327.01,
Nasdaq -60.45
at 24343.95,
S&P -23.28
at 7012.85
[BRIEFING.COM] The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (-0.25%) is in second place on Tuesday afternoon, down about 60 points.
Gold futures settled $109.20 lower (-2.3%) at $4,719.60/oz, as a stronger U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields increased the opportunity cost of holding the metal, pressuring prices lower. At the same time, shifting expectations that inflationary pressures could keep interest rates higher for longer outweighed safe-haven demand despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar Index is higher about +0.3% to $98.35.
