Markets surged to close out the week as Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial vessels, sending oil below $87 a barrel and unwinding the war premium that had gripped markets for weeks. The tech sector led the rally, with Intel hitting its highest level since the dot-com era and AMD reaching all-time highs on surging agentic AI demand, while Netflix bucked the trend, tumbling 10% on a disappointing revenue forecast and the announced departure of co-founder Reed Hastings.

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Earnings season continued to impress, with TSMC and ASML both beating estimates and raising forecasts on surging AI demand, while Charles Schwab, PepsiCo and Abbott Labs also topped expectations. Markets edged higher on news of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, though March industrial production fell a surprising 0.5% as conflict-driven energy costs continued to weigh on the broader economy.

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Bank earnings remained the dominant story, with Bank of America and Morgan Stanley both crushing profit expectations on record trading revenues and surging deal-making fees, capping a broadly strong quarter for the major banks. Markets were mixed as peace talk optimism kept oil near three-week lows, while Robinhood surged 5% on a landmark SEC rule change eliminating the $25,000 minimum balance requirement for day traders.

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