Wall Street Sets Another Record        04/16 15:20

   The U.S. stock market ticked to another record high Thursday as Wall Street 
waits for more clues about what will happen in the Iran war before making its 
next big move.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. stock market ticked to another record high 
Thursday as Wall Street waits for more clues about what will happen in the Iran 
war before making its next big move.

   The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, a day after topping its prior all-time high set in 
January, for its 11th gain in 12 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 
115 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%.

   U.S. stocks have leaped more than 10% since hitting a low in late March, 
driven by hopes for an end to the war or something that could avert a 
worst-case scenario for the global economy. Now, the wait is on to see if such 
hopes were prescient or just wishful thinking.

   Pakistan's powerful army chief met Thursday with Iran's parliament speaker 
as part of efforts to press for an extension to a ceasefire that has paused 
almost seven weeks of war between Israel, the U.S. and the Islamic Republic.

   Oil prices climbed, showing that caution still remains in financial markets. 
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 
4.7% to settle at $99.39. It's gone from roughly $70 before the war to as high 
as $119 at times on uncertainty about how long the war will keep oil stuck in 
the Persian Gulf area and away from customers.

   "The key upside risk for the market is that peace talks between the US and 
Iran break down," ING Bank strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote 
Thursday. "This isn't an unrealistic scenario, given that US and Iranian 
demands remain fairly wide apart."

   In the meantime, big U.S. companies are continuing to deliver growth in 
profits for the start of 2026 that's even better than analysts expected. Such 
growth is the lifeblood of the stock market, whose level tends to follow the 
track of corporate profits over the long term.

   PepsiCo rose 2.3% after reporting better results for the latest quarter than 
analysts expected. Customers bought more snacks during the quarter, after the 
company said in February it would cut prices on Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos and 
Tostitos chips to win back people frustrated by high prices.

   J.B. Hunt Transport Services vroomed 6.3% higher, and Marsh & McLennan 
climbed 4.4% after both likewise delivered stronger results than expected.

   Technology stocks also broadly got some support after Taiwan Semiconductor 
Manufacturing Co., an industry heavyweight, reported stronger revenue and 
profit for the start of 2026 than analysts expected. TSMC's Chief Financial 
Officer Wendell Huang said the company expects strong demand to continue into 
the spring.

   On the losing end of Wall Street was Abbott, which fell 6% even though it 
reported slightly better results than analysts expected. The health care 
company cut its forecast for profit over the full year, mostly because of its 
purchase of cancer-screening company Exact Sciences.

   Allbirds slumped 35.8%, but that gave back only a portion of its 582% surge 
from the day before. The company formerly known for sneakers is pivoting to the 
artificial-intelligence industry and hopes to rent out the use of high-powered 
AI chips as a service.

   All told, the S&P 500 rose 18.33 points to 7,041.28. The Dow Jones 
Industrial Average added 115.00 to 48,578.72, and the Nasdaq composite gained 
86.69 to 24,102.70.

   In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed across much of Europe and Asia. 
Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4%, South Korea's Kospi rallied 2.2% and Hong 
Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.7% for some of the world's larger moves.

   China on Thursday reported 5% economic growth for the January-March quarter, 
an acceleration from the previous quarter. While economists say China has 
largely shrugged off the initial impacts of the Iran war, some are warning its 
massive export engine could be hit more significantly in the coming months on 
slower global economic growth.

   In the bond market Treasury yields rose a bit after a report showed fewer 
U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week.

   The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.31% from 4.29% late Wednesday.