U.S. stock markets rose on Monday. By the close in New York, the Dow Jones index calculated at 49,704 points, marking a gain of 0.2 percent compared to the previous trading day. Similarly, the broader S&P 500 was up 0.2 percent at around 7,410 points, while the technology-focused Nasdaq 100 calculated near 29,320 points, showing a 0.3 percent increase.
Throughout the day, optimism in the semiconductor sector managed to overshadow concerns regarding rising oil prices. Positive earnings reports from chip manufacturers were clearly convincing to Wall Street investors, with key firms such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Micron all trading higher. Intel also saw sustained interest following recent news of a potential cooperation with Apple. However, given the lack of an apparent resolution to the situation in the Iran conflict, oil prices are expected to soon cause renewed turbulence in the New York markets.
In other markets, the Euro strengthened slightly on Monday evening, trading at $1.1778 per Euro, meaning the dollar cost 0.8490 Euro. Gold prices benefited from this environment, reaching $4,735 per fine ounce at the close-a gain of 0.4 percent, equivalent to €129.25 per gram.
The oil price, meanwhile, saw a significant surge. A barrel of Brent crude, a North Sea grade, cost $104.30 by 10 p.m. Central European Time, representing a 2.9 percent increase from the end of business the previous day.