A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the opening bell in New York, on April 13, 2026. (Charly Triballeau – AFP / Getty Images)
By Jack Davis April 16, 2026 at 6:21am
The stock market was still in a party mood early Thursday after a raucous Wednesday that saw the S&P 500 hit a new high.
S&P futures, Nasdaq 100 futures, and Dow Jones futures all were pointing upward early in the day, according to CNBC.
The catalyst for the optimism was a Wednesday announcement from President Donald Trump that he considers the war with Iran nearly over, paired with an announcement that talks between Lebanon and Israel will take place Thursday.
The S&P 500 just hit a new all time record high. It is now up 2000 points since last April when the “experts” told you our economy was collapsing. pic.twitter.com/XwER75ofte
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 15, 2026
“We’re basically back to where we were in late February in terms of the sentiment indicators and the valuation,” Tim Hayes, chief global investment strategist at Ned Davis Research, said.
“If we’re going to continue higher, I think we are going to have to have a broadening out here and not be just about the Nasdaq,” he added.
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“If we’re facing a recession, it’s unlikely for the stock market to be doing well. We can look at the bond market as well.”
– S&P and NASDAQ back to ALL-TIME HIGHS
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 15, 2026
The S&P 500 rose about 0.8 percent to close above 7,000, higher than any previous closing, according to The New York Times.
The index had tumbled at one point during the war with Iran, but has since risen 2 percent above the level it was at when the war began.
“The market is trading assuming we have seen the worst of the conflict,” Stefano Pascale, an equity analyst at Barclays, said.
More than 80 percent of the S&P’s companies are higher than on March 30, when stocks were at their lowest.
The S&P 500 appears ready for its third straight week of gains.
Trump: We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world by far, with no inflation, record setting investments coming into the United States, over $18 trillion and the highest stock market ever pic.twitter.com/x6tYj74VYB
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) April 2, 2026
Corporate earnings are also rising.
“As corporate earnings are the biggest driver of stock returns, this level of steadfast earnings growth is an incredibly positive sign given that the market has been hammered in the first quarter by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent oil prices skyrocketing to some of their highest levels in decades,” Hardika Singh, a strategist at Fundstrat, said.
JPMorgan Chase reported a profit of nearly $17 billion in the first quarter of the year. Other financial institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Bank of America, also reported strong profits.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies has risen more than 12 percent since March 30 and is approaching a new record high.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
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