Kamal Ghorui
US markets traded mixed on Thursday as strong corporate earnings helped Wall Street stay near record highs despite sharp swings in crude oil prices linked to the Iran war, AP reported.The S&P 500 rose 0.1 per cent and remained just below the all-time high touched earlier this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 413 points, or 0.8 per cent, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3 per cent in early trade.Markets drew support from another round of stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, even as oil prices whipsawed overnight on concerns that the conflict in West Asia could keep global crude supplies disrupted for longer.In the most actively traded Brent crude contract for July delivery, prices climbed as high as $114.70 a barrel overnight before reversing to $109.80, down 0.6 per cent. That still remains far above the roughly $70 level seen before the war began.During the conflict, the peak for the most actively traded Brent contract has been $119.50, reached last month.In the thinner June Brent contract, prices briefly crossed $126 overnight before easing back toward $114.Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, trapping vessels in the Persian Gulf, while a US Navy blockade has prevented Iran from exporting its own oil.The easing in crude prices later in the session helped calm broader markets.Alphabet was among the biggest gainers, rising 5.8 per cent after the Google and YouTube parent reported profit that nearly doubled analyst estimates.Investments in artificial intelligence “are lighting up every part of the business,” Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said.Several other stocks rallied after posting better-than-expected earnings.Caterpillar, Eli Lilly, O’Reilly Automotive and Royal Caribbean each rose more than 6 per cent.Meta Platforms, however, fell 9.9 per cent despite beating profit expectations.Investors focused instead on Meta’s higher spending plans for data centres and AI infrastructure, with projected capital expenditure rising to a range of $125 billion to $145 billion this year.Microsoft declined 4.5 per cent after it also raised its forecast for investments and capital spending, though analysts said trends at Azure remained encouraging.Amazon slipped 0.8 per cent after surpassing earnings estimates.US Treasury yields moved lower after oil prices gave up much of their overnight gains.Economic data showed US growth accelerated by less than economists had expected in the first quarter, while inflation in March rose broadly in line with forecasts.A separate report showed fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, signalling fewer layoffs despite recent job cuts announced by companies.The yield on the 10-year Treasury note eased to 4.38 per cent from 4.42 per cent late Wednesday.European markets were mixed. London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.3 per cent after the Bank of England kept rates unchanged. Germany’s DAX gained 0.7 per cent, while France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.2 per cent after the European Central Bank also left rates steady.In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.3 per cent, while Shanghai stocks added 0.1 per cent after data showed China’s factory activity slowed slightly in April but stayed in expansion territory for a second straight month.
