Financial Markets Wall Street

James Conti works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

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Stocks rally worldwide as oil prices ease on hopes for a possible end to the Iran war

Stocks rally worldwide as oil prices ease on hopes for a possible end to the Iran war

Stocks rushed higher worldwide, and oil prices eased as hopes built that the war with Iran could end soon. That’s even though some of the signals investors saw as hopeful on Wednesday are already under dispute. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and added to its leap from the day before, which was its best since last spring. That followed even bigger gains for markets across Europe and Asia, including an 8.4% surge in South Korea, which were catching up to Wall Street’s rally from Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.2%.