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US close: Earnings, peace talk hopes drive indices to new highs
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Friday 24 Apr 2026
(Sharecast News) - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq raced ahead to more record highs on Friday amid rising optimism about US-Iran peace talks this weekend, while the tech sector was given a boost as shares in chip giant Intel jumped by almost a quarter.
The Dow fell 0.2% to 49,230.71, while the S&P 500 jumped 0.8% to 7,165.08 and the Nasdaq soared 1.6% to 24,836.60, helped by Intel's market cap hitting $415bn.
Market sentiment continues to be dominated by events in the Middle East, with Friday's primary focus being the news that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday evening for negotiations with US leaders, according to MSNOW, which cited a Pakistani government official.
Meanwhile, the fragile truce between the US-Israel alliance and Iran continued, though tensions have been heightened regarding the Strait of Hormuz, where both sides now claim to have seized commercial vessels.
Investors' nerves were rattled somewhat by comments from president Donald Trump who said he wouldn't rush a peace deal. Questioned by reporters at the White House about the timeframe for the war, Trump said: "Don't rush me."
However, the president announced that the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel would be extended by three weeks following talks between the two sides at the White House. Trump said a meeting between vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and the ambassadors to Israel and Lebanon had gone "very well".
On the macro front, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index was upwardly revised to 49.8 in April, up from an initial estimate of 47.6. However, despite the modest improvement, April's print remained the weakest reading on record, reflecting the cost of the US and Israel's conflict with Iran on consumer morale.
Intel soars
The share price of Intel finished 24% higher at $82.57 after the semiconductor manufacturer posted stronger‑than‑expected first‑quarter revenues and issued an upbeat outlook after the close on Thursday, with the company highlighting a "fundamental" shift driven by its turnaround efforts and rising AI demand.
Intel reported Q1 revenues of $13.6bn, up 7% year‑on‑year and ahead of the $12.4bn expected by analysts. For the current quarter, Intel projected revenue of $13.8bn to $14.8bn, also above market forecasts.
Meta and Microsoft both rose after it emerged they are preparing to cut thousands of jobs as two of the world's largest technology companies looked to control costs while increasing investment in AI.
Meta said it was planning to cut about 8,000 roles, equivalent to around 10% of its workforce, and would also leave roughly 6,000 vacancies unfilled. Microsoft was taking a different route, launching a voluntary redundancy programme expected to be offered in early May to about 8,750 employees, or 7% of its US workforce.
Also higher was consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble after beating expectations with its fiscal third-quarter results, which showed solid sales growth despite "challenging" market conditions. Net sales were up 7% year-on-year at $21.2bn over the three months to 31 March, topping the $20.5bn expected by analysts and well ahead of the 1% annual growth seen in the second quarter.
Dow Jones - Risers
Intel Corp. (INTC) $82.54 21.98%
Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $178.16 2.80%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $148.18 1.70%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $424.62 0.95%
3M Co. (MMM) $145.99 0.79%
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $76.63 0.46%
International Business Machines Corporation (CDI) (IBM) $231.98 0.39%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $38.66 0.34%
Visa Inc. (V) $309.42 0.17%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $354.92 0.10%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $111.90 -2.37%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $46.38 -1.78%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $302.73 -1.50%
American Express Co. (AXP) $314.08 -1.43%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $227.50 -1.37%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $185.21 -1.27%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $335.89 -1.26%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $308.28 -1.09%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $299.36 -1.05%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $102.60 -1.03%
S&P 500 - Risers
Intel Corp. (INTC) $82.54 21.98%
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) $347.81 14.24%
QUALCOMM Inc. (QCOM) $148.85 9.35%
Newmont Corporation (NEM) $120.70 8.68%
Synopsys Inc. (SNPS) $500.82 7.27%
KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,935.00 6.16%
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) $84.15 5.56%
Intuit Inc. (INTU) $395.95 4.74%
Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) $39.45 4.50%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $404.00 4.25%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $180.13 -28.12%
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) $27.56 -12.40%
HCA Healthcare Inc (HCA) $432.46 -8.77%
Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (BFH) $86.16 -6.47%
eBay Inc. (EBAY) $97.94 -6.21%
Robert Half Inc. (RHI) $25.61 -5.85%
Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) $62.07 -5.51%
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $36.74 -5.14%
Deere & Co. (DE) $562.64 -4.95%
Mattel Inc. (MAT) $14.54 -4.72%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Intel Corp. (INTC) $82.54 21.98%
QUALCOMM Inc. (QCOM) $148.85 9.35%
Synopsys Inc. (SNPS) $500.82 7.27%
KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) $1,935.00 6.16%
Intuit Inc. (INTU) $395.95 4.74%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $404.00 4.25%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $496.72 3.95%
Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $128.71 3.92%
Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $245.44 3.82%
Amazon.Com Inc. (AMZN) $263.99 3.40%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $180.13 -28.12%
Qvc Group Inc Series A (QVCGA) $0.34 -13.49%
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) $27.56 -12.40%
Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI) $26.61 -7.04%
eBay Inc. (EBAY) $97.94 -6.21%
Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $89.82 -2.71%
Biogen Inc (BIIB) $184.38 -2.71%
Liberty Global plc Series C (LBTYK) $11.50 -2.46%
DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (XRAY) $11.91 -2.30%
Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) $130.40 -2.20%
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