Editor’s Note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, and the headline were updated in the story.
U.S. stocks rose on Monday, following a truncated week after Good Friday. Futures of the major benchmark indices were either marginally higher or in red amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
President Donald Trump, on Sunday, threatened to destroy Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure if it failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline of Tuesday, warning of severe consequences in a Truth Social post. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Strait, you crazy **, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump will also be holding a press conference alongside military officials later on Monday.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.36%, and the two-year bond was at 3.86%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.15% |
| S&P 500 | 0.06% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.38% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.07% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Monday. The SPY was up 0.13% at $656.65, while the QQQ advanced 0.40% to $587.31.
Stocks In Focus
Broadcom
- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) rose 0.78% after it named Amie Thuener as CFO, effective June 12, succeeding Kirsten M. Spears.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that AVGO maintains a strong price trend in the long term but a weak trend in the medium and short terms, with a solid growth score.
Cheer Holding
- Cheer Holding Inc. (NASDAQ:CHR) advanced by 3.12% after announcing a 1-for-3 reverse stock split, effective Apr. 6, to maintain its Nasdaq listing
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that CHR maintains a weak trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a poor growth score.
United Airlines Holdings
- United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) was up 1.10% after it said on Friday that it plans to introduce a new tiered fare structure in premium cabins starting this year.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that UAL maintains a weak price trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a solid value score.
DeFi Technologies
- DeFi Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:DEFT) jumped 9.50% lower after reporting mixed results for the fourth quarter. The company posted quarterly earnings of 8 cents per share, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of 3 cents per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $20.000 million, which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $29.744 million.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that DEFT maintains a weak price trend over the long and medium terms but a strong trend in the short term, with a good growth score.
Niu Technologies
- Niu Technologies ADR (NASDAQ:NIU) gained 1.41% after providing its sales volume results for the first quarter of 2026. In the first quarter of 2026, NIU sold 261,624 units, including e-motorcycles, e-mopeds, e-bicycles, kick-scooters, and e-bikes.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NIU maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and long terms.
Cues From Last Session
Real estate, information technology, and consumer staples stocks recorded the biggest gains on Thursday, leading most S&P 500 sectors to close higher. However, health care and consumer discretionary stocks bucked the trend.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | -0.13% | 46,504.67 |
| S&P 500 | 0.11% | 6,582.69 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.18% | 21,879.18 |
| Russell 2000 | 0.70% | 2,530.04 |
Insights From Analysts
Mohamed El-Erian paints a picture of a resilient but increasingly vulnerable U.S. economy, currently caught between robust activity and escalating geopolitical pressures.
While he notes the U.S. has been “better positioned” than Europe or Asia, he warns that inflationary pressures are mounting. He highlights a stark divergence in policy sentiment, critiquing the Federal Reserve’s “well-positioned” mantra as lacking the “analytical and intellectual agility” shown by other central banks.
Regarding the markets, El-Erian observes that after the worst quarter since 2022, U.S. stocks saw a recent bounce, even as they decoupled from rising oil prices.
However, he remains wary of the “broader economic damage” caused by the Middle East War, noting that while the U.S. has largely been limited to the initial phases of financial impact, it is not immune to the looming supply-side shocks.
He underscores the gravity of the current global shift, quoting the IMF's warning that "all roads lead to higher prices and lower growth."
As the U.S. faces a heavy week of data, including a projected jump in headline CPI to over 3%, El-Erian suggests the economy is at a crossroads where "increasing inflationary pressures are being accompanied by resilient activity," creating a complex backdrop for investors.
Upcoming Economic Data
Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on this week.
- On Monday, March’s ISM Services data will be released by 10:00 a.m. ET.
- On Tuesday, February’s durable-goods orders and durable-goods minus transportation data will be out by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee will speak at 12:35 p.m., February’s consumer credit data will be released by 3:00 p.m., and Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson will speak at 5:50 p.m. ET.
- On Wednesday, San Francisco President Mary Daly will speak at 1:05 p.m., and minutes of the Fed’s May FOMC meeting will be released by 2:00 p.m. ET.
- On Thursday, February’s personal income, personal spending, PCE index, core PCE index, and the second revision of the fourth quarter GDP number, along with initial jobless claims for the week ending April 4, will all be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- February’s wholesale inventories data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.
- On Friday, March’s consumer price index and core CPI data will be out by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- February’s factory orders data and April’s preliminary consumer sentiment data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.
Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 1.74% to hover around $109.60 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 0.30% to hover around $4,690.48 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.17% lower at the 99.8550 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 3.55% higher at $69,242.10 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed lower on Monday, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Australia's ASX 200, and China’s CSI 300 indices fell. Whereas, India’s Nifty 50, South Korea's Kospi, and Japan's Nikkei 225 indices rose. European markets were also lower in early trade.
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