There were no Dow stocks hitting 52-week highs. There were no Dow stocks hitting 52-week lows.

The Market

Premarket today, the Dow was indicated to be down -355 points.

Wednesday the Dow closed up +305.43 (+0.66%) at 46,429.49.

Year-to-date the Dow is down -3.40%.

Wednesday, (21) Dow stocks were up, none made 52-week lows, and none made 52-week highs.

The Dow stock winners Wednesday were led by Sherwin Williams (SHW) 321.95 (+2.63%), Merck (MRK) 119.37 (+2.58%) and Amazon (AMZN) 211.71 (+2.16%).

The Dow stock losers Wednesday were led by Verizon (VZ) 50.37 (-1.06%), Nike (NKE) 52.98 (-0.95%) and Travelers (TRV) 290.59 (-0.83%).

The VIX closed Wednesday at 25.33 (-6.01%) and the 10 YR at 4.356 (+0.60%). The VIX is currently at 27.13 (+7.11%). The 10YR is at 4.373 (+1.02%).

Stock futures are lower this morning after Trump said that Iranian negotiators “better get serious soon, before it is too late.” The comments come after Tehran said yesterday it had no intention of talking with the U.S.

Oil prices are rising this morning following yesterday’s slide on hopes of the conflict winding down. European oil giants on Wednesday warned that energy shortages could be coming due to the war. Gulf countries issued a joint statement Thursday condemning Iran’s “criminal” strikes on their energy infrastructure. They added that they are ready to defend themselves going forward.

Crude prices rose on Thursday, putting pressure on equities. Brent futures jumped 3.8% to $106.07 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 3.5% to $93.45.

Initial unemployment claims rose as expected last week while a longer-term measure hit its lowest level in nearly two years, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time filings for unemployment benefits totaled a seasonally adjusted 210,000 for the week ended March 21, up 5,000 from the prior week but in line with the consensus estimate. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, declined by 32,000 to 1.82 million. That was the lowest level since May 25, 2024, and furthers a trend in which employers have been reluctant to cut staff even while hiring has remained anemic.

Iran is preparing legislation that would impose tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state-aligned media. Traffic in the waterway, a critical shipping route, has effectively come to a standstill since the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran began almost four weeks ago. Subsequent supply constraints, along with attacks on energy facilities and regional production shutdowns, have pushed oil prices into triple digits. Revolutionary Guard-aligned news agency Fars said overnight that a lawmaker had told its reporter the plans to impose tolls were also a bid to officialize Iranian supervision over the Strait of Hormuz. A draft had been prepared, but was not yet complete, Fars reported. It said lawmakers were planning to complete a draft bill by next week, so it would be ready to put to parliament.

The U.S. is preparing to send thousands more troops to the Middle East, prompting speculation about a ground attack on Iran amid conflicting accounts of peace talks. The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to send about 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, alongside two Marine Expeditionary Units, to assist military operations in Iran. Military experts said that the number of additional troops being deployed to the region appears to be consistent with plans for discrete and time-limited operations, rather than a sustained ground campaign. It puts two strategic Iranian islands in the spotlight and raises questions about a potential move to seize the Islamic Republic’s nuclear materials.

U.S. futures are lower, European stocks are lower and Asian markets ended lower.

The national average price of gasoline is down two-tenths of a cent at $3.981 per gallon.

Earnings Reports

Nike (NKE) reports earnings on 3/31/26 after the market close.

Goldman Sachs (GS) reports earnings on 4/13/26 before the market open.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reports earnings on 4/14/26 before the market open.

JPMorgan (JPM) reports earnings on 4/14/26 before the market open.

Travelers (TRV) reports earnings on 4/16/26 before the market open.

3M (MMM) reports earnings on 4/221/26 before the market open.

Today’s Featured Dow Stock

IBM (IBM)

IBM (IBM) 241.39 (+0.33%) is down -18.51% in 2026.

Financial Calendar

08:30 AM ET Continuing Jobless Claims, 1,860K, 1,857K
08:30 AM ET Initial Jobless Claims, 211K, 205K
08:30 AM ET Jobless Claims 4-Week Avg., 210.75K
10:30 AM ET Natural Gas Storage, -49B, 35B
11:00 AM ET KC Fed Composite Index (Mar), 5
11:00 AM ET KC Fed Manufacturing Index (Mar), 10
11:30 AM ET 4-Week Bill Auction, 3.615%
11:30 AM ET 8-Week Bill Auction, 3.635%
13:00 PM ET 7-Year Note Auction, 3.790%
16:00 PM ET Fed Governor Cook Speaks
16:30 PM ET Fed’s Balance Sheet, 6,656B
16:30 PM ET Reserve Balances with Federal Reserve Banks, 2.999T
19:00 PM ET Fed Governor Jefferson Speaks
19:10 PM ET Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr Speaks