US markets end higher; Dow Jones falls

US stocks closed higher on Thursday in a shortened trading week despite sharp volatility driven by President Donald Trump’s remarks on the Middle East conflict.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.13% (61 points) to 46,504, but rose about 3% for the week.

The S&P 500 edged up 0.11% (7 points) to 6,582, posting weekly gains of 3.35%, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.18% (38 points) to 21,879, extending weekly gains to 4.44%.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.18% to 596, after touching 588 earlier, but gained 3.7% over the week. Germany’s DAX dropped 0.56%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.24%, while the UK’s FTSE 100 rose 0.69%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 2.38%, with the broader Topix down 1.61%.

Oil prices surged, with Brent crude for June delivery rising 7.78% to $109.03 per barrel, marking a seventh straight weekly gain of +3.52%. US WTI for May delivery jumped 11.41% to $111.54, up 11.94% during the week.

Gold futures for June delivery fell 2.77% to $4,679.70 per ounce, despite a weekly rise of 3.43%.

Market Drivers: Markets were rattled after Trump signaled a tougher stance on Iran, threatening intensified strikes on energy infrastructure, though sentiment found partial support from reports that Iran and Oman are working on a Hormuz monitoring framework.