Palantir, Energy Stocks Rally, Cruise Lines Tumble On US And Israeli-Iran War: What's Moving Markets Monday?

Wall Street traded firmly higher at midday in New York on Monday, reversing overnight futures losses as investors brushed aside escalating tensions in the Middle East.

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The Nasdaq 100 gained 0.3% to 25,025, supported by strength in large-cap technology names. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% to 6,890, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered near flat at around 49,000.

Small caps outperformed, with the Russell 2000 climbing 0.5% to 2,645.61.

During a press briefing at the White House, President Donald Trump defended “Operation Epic Fury” as a decisive campaign to dismantle Iran's military and nuclear capabilities, signaling a four- to five-week timeline but warning the U.S. is prepared to stay engaged longer if necessary.

Defense-linked names led gains. The SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:XAR) climbed 2%, emerging as the top-performing industry group.

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) topped the S&P 500, rising 6.5% and heading for its strongest session in a month.

In commodities, oil rallied 5.1% to $70 per barrel, yet showing some cooling price momentum after briefly touching $75 overnight.

The energy sector gained about 1.3%, with Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:MPC) emerging as the group’s best gainer with a 4.5% advance.

Travel-linked shares lagged sharply. The U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE:JETS) dropped 2.2%.

Among cruise operators, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) tumbled 9%, marking its worst session since November. Carnival Corp. (NYSE:CCL) fell 7%, while Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) declined 3.6%.

Treasury markets saw heavy selling. The 10-year yield jumped 11 basis points to 4.07%, marking the largest one-day increase since April's tariff-driven shock. In currencies, the U.S. dollar strengthened 0.9%.

Gold rose 0.5% to $5,300 per ounce. Silver sank 6% to $88 per ounce. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) rallied 5.2% to $69,150.

Monday's Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

• The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO) rose 0.1% to $631.96
• The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE:DIA) rose 0.0% to $489.83.
• The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series (NASDAQ:QQQ) rallied 0.28% to $609.02
• The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:IWM) traded 0.5% higher to $264.56.

Russell 1000's Top 5 Gainers And Losers On Monday

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