Financial Wire

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Monday Afternoon

-- Energy stocks were higher Monday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 0.7%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was decreasing 0.3%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was steady.

In sector news, oil prices rose Monday following an apparent flare-up between the US and Iran ahead of the expiration of their ceasefire agreement this week. Oil prices had plunged on Friday as Iran declared that the Strait of Hormuz was open, a key US demand. Tehran, however, took back control of the waterway on Saturday. Both sides have accused each other of violating a two-week ceasefire that is due to expire Tuesday.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 6.8% to $89.56 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract popped 5.9% to $95.72 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.9% to $2.70 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, USA Rare Earth (USAR) on Monday agreed to acquire Brazilian rare earths miner Serra Verde in a cash-and-stock deal with an equity value of about $2.8 billion, as the critical minerals producer aims to boost its rare earth operations. USA Rare Earth shares jumped past 8%.

Eni (E) and Repsol have reached a deal with the Venezuelan government to begin exporting natural gas from the country's Perla field in the Gulf of Venezuela, shipping the fuel in the form of liquefied natural gas from a floating terminal, Bloomberg reported. Separately, Eni said it has made a gas discovery in the Kutei Basin off the coast of Indonesia. Eni shares rose 1%.

Sable Offshore (SOC) shares added 0.4% after it said capital expenditure across its assets is expected to be around $180 million from April through December this year.

Related Articles

Sectors

Sector Update: Financial

Financial stocks were mixed in late Monday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.1% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 0.3%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was rising 0.7%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.2%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was climbing 3.3% to $76,265, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was slightly higher at 4.25%.In corporate news, Intercontinental Exchange-backed (ICE) predictions site Polymarket is in talks to raise about $400 million at a valuation of roughly $15 billion, including the new proceeds, The Information reported. Intercontinental Exchange shares were down 0.3%.

$ICE
US Markets

US-Iran Ceasefire Likely to be Extended, Macquarie Says

The US-Iran ceasefire may be extended by up to two weeks, though it will take much longer to hammer out a complete peace agreement, Macquarie Group said in a note on Monday.Iran took back control the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after opening the waterway to commercial vessels on Friday. The US and Iran have accused each other of violating a two-week ceasefire announced April 7.The US Navy on Sunday seized an Iranian-flagged vessel that tried to move past a naval blockade, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.The US is sending negotiators to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks, though Iran said it doesn't plan to participate in those negotiations. Trump told Bloomberg News Monday he's unlikely to extend the ceasefire and that the Strait of Hormuz would stay blockaded until a deal is reached."At the very least, the current two-week ceasefire may be extended this week for another one or two weeks," Thierry Wizman, global foreign exchange and rates strategist at Macquarie, said. "But a fully-formed peace agreement will take much longer."The peace process is likely to be "long and jagged," based on historical precedents set by other similar deals, Wizman said."We don't expect that this process will be any different, and it may last several weeks, if not months, before the final contours are inked and agreed to," he said.Financial markets were largely stable this morning, suggesting traders continued to bet on the prospect of reaching "a permanent deal within a multi-week timeframe," Wizman said.

Sectors

Sector Update: Health Care

Health care stocks declined late Monday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index down 0.8% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) shedding 1%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) decreased 0.4%.In corporate news, Tvardi Therapeutics (TVRD) shares fell 4.1% after Barclays downgraded the company's stock to underweight from equalweight and adjusted the price target to $3 from $4.

$TVRD