Gokhan Ergocun
23 June 2026•Update: 23 June 2026
The New York Stock Exchange ended Monday mixed amid hopes for negotiations between the US and Iran.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 148.01 points, or 0.29%, to close at 51,712.71.
The S&P 500 fell 0.37% or 27.79 points to 7,472.79, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1.32% or 352.33 points to end the session at 26,166.60.
The Volatility Index (VIX), often referred to as the market’s “fear index,” climbed 5.37% to 17.28.
As progress was made in diplomatic talks between US and Iranian delegations aimed at permanently reducing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Qatar and Pakistan announced that US and Iranian officials had agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced the issuance of a 60-day temporary general license permitting the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil.
Following these developments, the futures price of Brent crude fell by 3% to $78.22 per barrel.
On the corporate front, SpaceX, which recently began trading on the Nasdaq, announced that it would begin its first sale of unsecured senior notes and that the proceeds from the sale would be used to repay existing bridge loan debt.
SpaceX’s shares fell by more than 16%, marking their worst daily performance since the initial public offering.
Alphabet’s shares also fell by 5% following the recent departure of two key researchers who are set to join competitors.
Shares of Nvidia, one of the country’s tech giants, fell by 1%, Microsoft’s shares by 3.2%, and Amazon’s shares by 4.8%.
The decline in shares of some defense companies also drew attention following reports that USPresident Donald Trump had summoned major contractors and US Department of Defense (Pentagon) officials to the White House to discuss shortages in the country’s ammunition stockpiles.
Lockheed Martin shares fell 3.4%, L3Harris Technologies shares fell 3%, Northrop Grumman shares fell 2.7%, RTX Corp. shares fell 2%, and General Dynamics shares fell 1.9%.
European markets
European stocks saw mostly a positive course, with the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index rising 0.58% to close at 639.27 points.
The UK’s FTSE 100 added 0.72% to 10,437.85, Germany’s DAX 40 gained 0.62% to 25,139.69, and Spain's IBEX 35 rose 1.01% to close midweek at 19,542.30.
France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.25% to 8,400.11 points and Italy’s FTSE MIB 30 fell 0.31% to 52,796.78.
