Wall Street hesitates and oil prices climb with uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz

Specialist Anthony Matesic works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively around its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1 per cent, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 76 points, or 0.2 per cent, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1 per cent higher.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 1.7 per cent to $110.01 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

• S&P 500 market updates here

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would guide ships through the strait, which could get oil flowing again and bring down its price. But prices instead climbed after Iranian news agencies claimed Monday that Iran had struck a U.S. Navy vessel southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of “violating maritime security and navigation norms.”

The U.S. military rejected the claim and later said that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz.

Even with all the uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will last, the U.S. stock market has managed to power to record after record. Hope is still high on Wall Street that the global economy can avoid a worst-case scenario because of the war. And in the meantime, companies continue to deliver big growth in profits. That’s key because stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

Tyson Foods joined the list Monday of those topping analysts’ expectations for both profit and revenue during the latest quarter.

It sold less beef than it did a year ago, but it did so at prices that were 11.5 per cent higher, so its total beef revenue edged up. It also sold more chicken and pork than a year earlier, at slightly higher prices. Its stock rose 1.7 per cent after swinging between gains and losses earlier in the morning.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings likewise delivered a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But it’s feeling the effects of the war, which has not only raised pressure on fuel prices but also pushed some customers to think twice about travel plans, particularly to Europe.

The cruise operator said some “execution missteps” also have bookings below where it would like, and its stock fell 8.5 per cent.

On the winning side of Wall Street was eBay, which climbed 4.7 per cent after GameStop said it wanted to buy its much bigger rival for $125 per share in cash and stock. Coming into the day, eBay had a total market value that was nearly quadruple GameStop’s.

GameStop said it has already built a five per cent stake in eBay and sees opportunities to cut $2 billion in annual costs quickly. GameStop, whose stock briefly soared to market-shaking heights during the meme stock craze of 2021, fell 5.2 per cent.

Berkshire Hathaway climbed 1.2 per cent following the conglomerate’s first annual meeting with CEO Greg Abel at the helm instead of famed investor Warren Buffett.

Several big tech stocks were also strong, continuing a big run for companies involved in artificial-intelligence technology. Micron Technology gained 7.3 per cent for the biggest gain in the S&P 500. Oracle rallied 5.7 per cent, Sandisk climbed 4.4 per cent and Super Micro Computer added 4.5 per cent.

• Dow Jones updates here

In stock markets abroad, gains for tech stocks helped indexes jump 5.1% in South Korea and 1.2 per cent in Hong Kong, while markets were closed in mainland China and Japan for holidays.

European indexes fared worse, and France’s CAC 40 fell 1.1 per cent.

In the bond market, Treasury yield edged up as oil prices climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.41 per cent from 4.39 per cent late Friday.

Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott, The Associated Press