Wall Street opened August with broad gains on Monday as lower oil prices eased pressure across major sectors. Investors responded to signs that Washington may avoid fresh strikes against Iran, though Tehran denied that formal talks had started.
The Dow led the early advance, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ also moved higher. Amazon reached a $3 trillion market value. Investors also reviewed strong manufacturing data and prepared for a busy earnings week.
Oil Slide Lifts Wall Street Sentiment
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 604.70 points, or 1.15%, to 53,089 at 9:35 a.m. ET. The S&P 500 gained 1.2% to 7,585. The NASDAQ Composite added 1.97% to 25,872.
Seven of the 11 S&P 500 sectors traded higher, with communication services leading. Energy shares lagged as crude prices fell. Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by 1.89-to-1 on the NYSE and 1.49-to-1 on NASDAQ, showing broad early participation.
President Donald Trump said planned talks would address Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He also canceled a planned attack on Iran. Tehran rejected his account and said no talks or meetings were scheduled. Brent crude fell 5% to below $84 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate dropped 6.1% to below $80.
Amazon Reaches $3 Trillion Value
Amazon shares climbed 5% in early trading, pushing the company’s market value above $3 trillion. The move followed its latest earnings report and extended gains from the previous week. Most large technology and growth stocks also advanced during the opening session.
Software stocks supported the technology sector, with Microsoft and Salesforce moving higher. Chipmakers moved in the opposite direction. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 2.8% after a difficult July. Micron also dropped 3.4% after a report said China’s CXMT may build another memory-chip plant in Beijing.
Earnings Calendar Draws Attention
SpaceX will release its first quarterly results since its public listing on Tuesday. Its shares rose nearly 3% to trade near 111.57 at press time. Investors will track Starlink growth, launch revenue, and updates on the Starship program. Other technology companies reporting this week include Palantir, AMD, SanDisk, and Western Digital.
“The on-again, off-again nature of US-Iran diplomacy could mean earnings and jobs data will have to do the heavy lifting for the bulls this week,” said Chris Larkin of E*TRADE. Company reports will also shape trading after July’s volatility around artificial intelligence spending, interest rates, and the Middle East conflict.
Drug Merger Report Moves Shares
Bristol Myers Squibb gained 1.5% after reports of preliminary merger discussions with AstraZeneca. A possible combination could create a pharmaceutical company worth nearly $400 billion. Reuters could not confirm whether the discussions remained active.
Both companies hold large cancer-drug businesses, which could draw close regulatory review. Oncology products generated more than 40% of Bristol Myers’ sales during the first half of 2026. AstraZeneca also receives a large share of its revenue from cancer treatments.
Factory Data and Fed Policy in Focus
US manufacturing activity rose to its highest level since May 2022. The ISM manufacturing index reached 55.6 in July, up from 53.3 in June. Economists expected a reading of 54.0. Factory employment rose to 52.8, its first expansion reading in 33 months. Input prices eased to 71.1 but stayed elevated.
New York Fed President John Williams said he expects inflation to cool during the second half of 2026. He said current interest-rate policy remains ‘well positioned.’ However, he said the Fed could raise rates if inflation fails to move toward 2%. The central bank kept its target range at 3.50% to 3.75% last week. Investors will next review several labor reports, including Friday’s nonfarm payrolls release.
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