U.S. Markets Post Strong Weekly Gains Despite Middle East Tensions and Rising Energy Prices

U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Friday as investors weighed a fragile Middle East ceasefire against an inflation report that came in better than feared. Despite Friday's uneven session, major indexes logged their strongest weekly performance since November 2025.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.1% to 6,816.11, the Nasdaq gained 0.4% to 22,902.89, and the Dow Jones fell 0.6% to 47,916.33. On a weekly basis, the S&P 500 surged 3.5%, the Nasdaq climbed 4.7%, and the Dow rose 3%.

March's Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% month-over-month, matching forecasts. Year-over-year headline inflation came in at 3.3%, slightly below the expected 3.4%. Energy prices drove much of the increase, jumping 10.9% — the sharpest monthly rise since 2005 — while gasoline prices soared over 21%. National average gas prices have now exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose just 0.2% monthly and 2.6% annually, both below consensus estimates. While markets found short-term relief in the softer core reading, analysts cautioned that April's data could reflect the full force of the oil supply shock stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Consumer sentiment also deteriorated sharply, with the University of Michigan's index plunging 11% in April to 47.6. Year-ahead inflation expectations jumped from 3.8% to 4.8%, the largest single-month increase in a year.

Oil markets remained unsettled as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stayed well below normal levels, and Saudi Arabia reported significant reductions in output and pipeline capacity following facility attacks. Brent crude fell 1.5% to $94.51 per barrel.

In corporate news, CoreWeave shares surged nearly 11% after Anthropic announced a data center capacity agreement with the company, while Palantir attracted attention following a social media endorsement from President Trump.