How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday 3/25/2026

Audio By Carbonatix

Hope for a possible end to the war with Iran pushed stocks higher again, while oil prices eased.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Wednesday in its latest flip-flop after the United States delivered a plan to pause the war to Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8%.

But the moves are shaky, and the S&P 500 during the morning briefly came close to erasing all of an early 1.2% jump. Iran dismissed the U.S. proposal, and fierce fighting continues in the Middle East. Stock indexes rose more than 1% across Europe and Asia.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 35.53 points, or 0.5%, to 6,591.90.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 305.43 points, or 0.7%, to 46,429.49.

The Nasdaq composite rose 167.93 points, or 0.8%, to 21,929.83.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 30.94 points, or 1.2% to 2,536.38.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 85.42 points, or 1.3%.

The Dow is up 852.02 points, or 1.9%.

The Nasdaq is up 282.21 points, or 1.3%.

The Russell 2000 is up 97.93 points, or 4%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is down 253.60 points, or 3.7%.

The Dow is down 1,633.80 points, or 3.4%.

The Nasdaq is down 1,312.16 points, or 5.6%.

The Russell 2000 is up 54.47 points, or 2.2%.