Hopes for a possible resolution to the war with Iran boosted stocks on Wall Street Wednesday, while also easing oil prices, though market swings continued, according to the Associated Press (AP) [src_001]. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8% [src_001]. Financial markets have experienced sharp swings since the war began more than three weeks ago, and many of these reversals have occurred rapidly due to ongoing uncertainty about the length of the war [src_001].
Despite the optimism in financial markets, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in an interview with Iranian state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war and “we do not plan on any negotiations” [src_001]. The price for a barrel of Brent crude to be delivered in June fell 3% to settle at $97.26 [src_001].
Other market movements on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 included:
- Arm Holdings soared 16.4% after announcing new chips for data centers and AI technology [src_001].
- Robinhood Markets rallied 5% after its board authorized a program to send up to $1.5 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks [src_001].
- Terns Pharmaceuticals rose 5.7% after Merck said it would acquire the oncology company in an all-cash deal valuing it at $6.7 billion [src_001]. Shares of Merck rose 2.6% [src_001].
- On Holding, a Swiss company, slumped 11.2% after CEO Martin Hoffmann announced he was stepping down [src_001].
- Pop Mart International Group, which produces Labubu dolls, tumbled 22.5% as the company’s reported profit and revenue did not meet analysts’ expectations [src_001].
The Nasdaq composite closed at 21,929.83 on Wednesday [src_001].