Oil trims gains, stocks rebound on Lebanon-Israel talks: what's moving markets Thursday?

U.S. stocks held modest midday gains Thursday as tentative Lebanon–Israel diplomatic overtures introduced a fragile layer of optimism into an otherwise tense geopolitical backdrop. • iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF stock is testing key support levels. What’s behind IGV weakness. In a late-night post on Wednesday, President Donald Trump warned that all U.S. military assets would remain positioned near Iran "until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with," underscoring the conditional nature of any de-escalation. Tehran, meanwhile, accused Washington of breaching ceasefire terms and reiterated threats against vessels awaiting transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which remained shut — a stark reversal from Wednesday's relief-driven rally that had sent equities higher while triggering a sharp unwind in energy prices and bond yields. A fresh geopolitical development offered some relief. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Lebanon had requested direct talks, with Israel agreeing to engage. A senior Lebanese official signaled that negotiations would require U.S. guarantees and begin with a temporary ceasefire framework. In commodities, WTI crude rose 3.8% to $98.01 per barrel, paring earlier gains after briefly reclaiming the $100 level. Across U.S. equities, gains remained narrow but broadly distributed by midday, with consumer discretionary and industrials leading, while software and cloud names weighed on growth indices. The S&P 500 climbed 50 points, or 0.7%, to 6,833. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 317 points, or 0.7%, to 48,227. The Nasdaq 100 gained 175 points, or 0.7%, to 25,078. Gold rose 1.5% to $4,792 per ounce, supported by safe-haven demand, while Bitcoin added 1.5% to $71,170. Thursday’s Performance In Major U.S. Indices According to the Benzinga Pro platform: Software Tumbles On AI Threats Minutes from the Federal Reserve's March meeting, released Thursday, showed a growing share of policymakers increasingly concerned that war-driven energy shocks could reignite inflationary pressures. Thursday’s Russell 1000 Top Gainers Thursday’s Russell 1000 Top Losers Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs © 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here. Posted In: Cryptocurrency; Equities; Macro Economic Events; Sector ETFs; Broad U.S. Equity ETFs; Commodities; Econ #s; Top Stories; Economics; Federal Reserve; Movers; Tech; Trading Ideas; ETFs; cyber security; Donald Trump; israel; Lebanon; midday report; midday update; Oil; Stories That Matter by Piero Cingari Benzinga Staff Writer