Stocks, Oil, and Gold React Amid Hopes of U.S.-Iran Talks Yielding Results

Barry Adams
25 Mar, 2026
New York City

Wall Street stocks advanced amid conflicting signs over the Middle East, and volatile crude oil prices decreased for the second consecutive day.

The S&P 500 Index increased 0.7%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.0% as investors hoped for the resumption of the flow of crude oil and natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Market sentiment in New York improved on reports that the U.S. has resumed diplomatic talks with Iran and the U.S. Navy is in the advanced stage of invading key islands off the coast of Iran. 

The U.S.-Israel war on Iran has already racked up $45 billion in costs, and the Trump administration has requested the U.S. Congress to release additional funding of $200 billion. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. federal government debt surpassed $39 trillion as of last week, and the debt is set to surpass $40 trillion before the end of October.

The U.S. federal government is increasing its debt by at least $2 trillion a year, and with the ongoing war with Iran, the debt may increase by $3 trillion in the next fiscal year starting November 1. 

The West Texas Intermediate crude oil price declined 5.2% to $87.34 a barrel, and the spot gold price advanced 1.7% to $4,556 an ounce in New York. 

 

U.S. Movers 

KB Home decreased 3.2% to $51.01 after the homebuilder reported fiscal first quarter revenue and earnings below the market expectations. Moreover, the company's current-quarter home sales and housing revenue missed investor expectations. 

GameStop Corp. inched higher 0.7% to $22.97 after the video game retailer's fiscal fourth quarter revenue and adjusted earnings were slightly below market expectations. 

Braze Inc. jumped 21.5% to $21.90 after the cloud computing company's fiscal fourth quarter results and current quarter estimates surpassed market expectations.

Chewy Inc. increased 2.1% to $23.94 ahead of the company's quarterly results later today. The online retailer of pet food is facing persistent demand growth challenges amid a sharp rise in energy prices and intensifying competition.