Stock Market Today: Dow Falls as Oil Tops $97 a Barrel and Nvidia Lifts AI Optimism — Live Updates
Oil markets turned sharply higher on Monday after Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran was suspending negotiations with the United States over Israel’s conduct. Brent crude futures rose more than 4% to around $95 a barrel following the report, though The Wall Street Journal said it had not verified the claim. The jump reflected renewed anxiety over supply risks in the Middle East, a region that remains central to global oil flows and investor sentiment. Later, some of those gains were trimmed after President Trump said he had “a very productive call” with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and that talks with Iran were continuing “at a rapid pace.”
U.S. financial markets also showed signs of caution. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield eased from earlier highs and was trading near 4.47%, while the dollar edged higher as investors weighed the latest geopolitical developments alongside broader market trends. The combination of stronger oil prices, firmer Treasury yields and a more resilient dollar suggested a shift toward safer positioning as traders monitored whether tensions in the region could escalate further.
At the same time, the artificial intelligence sector continued to provide a bright spot for investors. Nvidia shares climbed after the company introduced a new superchip it described as “the most efficient PC chip ever built.” The launch reinforced Nvidia’s expanding push beyond data centers and into personal computing, a move that has drawn interest from major hardware partners. Companies tied to that strategy, including Dell Technologies and HP, also advanced as investors bet they could benefit from Nvidia’s deeper move into the PC market.
The AI enthusiasm extended beyond chipmakers and hardware makers. Anthropic, the artificial intelligence lab valued at $965 billion, said on Monday that it had confidentially filed for an initial public offering. The announcement added to growing expectations that major AI firms may soon test public markets as investor demand for the sector remains strong.
Broader market momentum in AI-related stocks was already visible earlier in the day. Shares of SoftBank Group in Japan jumped 14%, while South Korea’s Kospi index, which is heavily weighted toward AI chip makers such as Samsung and SK Hynix, rallied strongly. The Kospi’s year-to-date gain reached 109%, highlighting the scale of the rally in companies tied to the AI buildout.
The day’s trading showed a split-screen market: geopolitical uncertainty continued to support oil and safe-haven assets, while artificial intelligence remained a powerful source of optimism across global equities. Investors appeared to be balancing the risk of renewed instability in the Middle East with the momentum still driving one of the market’s strongest secular themes.
