NEW YORK, July 27, 2026, 10:06 EDT — The U.S. stock market opened for the regular session.
- The S&P 500 was up approximately 0.8% at the start of Monday’s session. The Nasdaq climbed 1%, and the Dow advanced nearly 580 points.
- An early travel basket rose 2.7%, while two major oil producers each saw an average drop of 1.5%.
- Brent crude declined 6.6% to $90.41, while U.S. crude lost 5.7% to $84.23.
U.S. stocks started Monday on an upswing after the United States and Iran halted strikes. A decline in crude prices reduced the inflation pressure that hurt markets during the previous week.
Fuel consumers led early trading, while oil producers lagged. An initial equal-weight travel basket advanced 2.7%. The energy pair fell 1.5%.
| Early-session comparison | Move |
|---|---|
| United Airlines Holdings NASDAQ:UAL | up 3.3% |
| Southwest Airlines NYSE:LUV | up 1.6% |
| Royal Caribbean Group NYSE:RCL | up 1.9% |
| Carnival Corp NYSE:CCL | up 3.7% |
| Travel basket average | up 2.7% |
| Exxon Mobil NYSE:XOM | down 1.4% |
| Occidental Petroleum NYSE:OXY | down 1.7% |
| Energy pair average | down 1.5% |
| Travel-energy spread | 4.2 points |
Initial equal-weight calculation based on delayed quotes as of approximately 9:48 a.m. EDT.
The 4.2-point gap far exceeded the initial advance in the broader market. Investors put greater weight on short-term cost savings than on the impact of reduced oil income.
United and Carnival were top performers among travel stocks. Exxon and Occidental declined, but their losses were smaller than the drop in crude prices. This discrepancy indicates investors continued to price in potential supply risks.
Brent was trading at $90.41 as of 9:37 a.m. EDT, after having dropped as low as $87.55 earlier, marking a 9.5% decline. West Texas Intermediate slipped 5.7% to $84.23.
The trigger was a temporary halt rather than an official agreement. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described the move as intended to “giving diplomacy some space.” While Iran rejected reports of direct negotiations with the U.S., it confirmed conversations with Oman about maritime navigation. CBS News
The rate channel shifted rapidly. CME Group NASDAQ:CME data showed the likelihood of a Wednesday hike was close to one in three, after standing at 37% on Friday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped around four basis points to 4.64%.
Gold rose 0.9%, even as equities strengthened. Bullion found support from declining yields and a weaker dollar, further backing the rate-relief outlook.
The S&P 500 began Monday following back-to-back weekly declines. Last week, Brent climbed above $100 as shipping issues extended further into the Red Sea.
Risks persist. According to PVM analyst John Evans, the pause does not ensure that oil shipments will quickly resume. Kpler data indicated that less than 10 commodity ships transited the Hormuz Strait each day over the weekend.
Volume is significant. In the first half of 2025, 20.9 million barrels per day passed through Hormuz. This accounted for roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum-liquids use.
Key economic reports are due soon. The Federal Reserve announces its rate decision on Wednesday. Core personal-consumption inflation for June is released Thursday. Fresh strike action or stronger inflation may shift the market trend.
At present, the rally is fueled by lower oil prices instead of a finalized agreement.
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