U.S. stocks drift near their records in mixed trading after oil prices fall

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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting near their records in mixed trading Monday after trading resumed following a three-day weekend for Wall Street.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3 per cent, coming off its 11th winning week in the last 12, and pulled 1.7 per cent below its all-time high set early this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 164 points, or 0.3 per cent, as of 1:29 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2 per cent lower.

In the oil market, prices eased following talks over the weekend between the United States and Iran on their war. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said they created a “good foundation for a successful final deal.”

An end to the war could clear the Strait of Hormuz for oil tankers and allow for the undisputed resumption of deliveries from the Persian Gulf. Iran’s military had said Saturday that it closed the Strait of Hormuz again, though U.S. Central Command has disputed that.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil fell 3.6 per cent to US$77.70, closer to its roughly US$70 price from before the war. Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 2.7 per cent to US$74.55 per barrel.

The lower oil prices, though, did not pull down Treasury yields in the bond market. Yields have been climbing because of speculation that the Federal Reserve may have to hike interest rates this year in order to keep a lid on inflation, which has been accelerating because of expensive oil caused by the Iran war. Economists expect a report on Thursday to show a measure of inflation for U.S. consumers sped up to 4.1 per cent in May from 3.8 per cent in April.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.51 per cent from 4.46 per cent late Thursday and from just 3.97 per cent before the war.

Traders are betting on a 90 per cent chance the Fed will raise its federal funds rate at least once by the end of the year, with a small minority calling for four increases. That’s up from the 57 per cent chance seen just a week ago, according to data from CME Group.

High yields in bond markets worldwide  caused by worries about inflation are threatening to slow economies and have already sent rates higher for mortgages and other kinds of loans. High yields also hurt prices for investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive. That raises the pressure on companies that have soared in the mania around artificial-intelligence technology.

SpaceX fell 10.7 per cent to drop toward US$165. It’s heading toward a third straight loss following a big three-day run since its ballyhooed debut on the U.S. stock market, when it initially sold its stock at US$135 per share.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, AbbVie climbed 7.1 per cent after saying it agreed to buy Apogee Therapeutics and its potential treatments for patients with dermatologic, respiratory and other related inflammatory and immunological diseases. Apogee Therapeutics soared 46.7 per cent following the announcement of the deal, valued at roughly US$10.9 billion.

In stock markets abroad, the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 rose 0.7 per cent after Keir Starmer said he was stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave office within weeks.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.5 per cent and ended at another all-time high, led by AI stocks. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.7 per cent to its own record, helped by AI-related companies.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott and AP Senior Producer Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.

By Stan Choe