Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 30, 2026.
NYSE
The S&P 500 rose to a fresh all-time intraday high on Friday, boosted by Apple shares, while oil prices fell as a new month of trading got underway.
The broad market index was last up 0.9%. The Nasdaq Composite added 1.2% and had also scored a new all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 307 points, or 0.6%.
Shares of Apple climbed more than 5% after the consumer tech giant posted a fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue beat. Not only that, the company’s revenue outlook for the current quarter was better than expected, overshadowing the fact that iPhone revenue fell short of estimates for the second time in three quarters.
On the flip side, oil prices fell after Iran reportedly sent its response through Pakistani mediators to the latest U.S. amendments to a draft agreement to end the Middle East conflict. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell about 4% to trade around $100 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude futures slid 3% to above $107 a barrel.
The moves come after a record-setting trading session, with the S&P 500 closing above the 7,200 threshold for the first time ever. That helped both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq — which also notched a new record closing high — secure their strongest monthly performances since 2020. The Dow, meanwhile, saw its strongest monthly performance since November 2024.
A strong first-quarter earnings season, as well as hopes for easing tensions in the Middle East, have ultimately boosted stocks higher on the year. Even though the major averages took a dip on the commencement of the U.S. war with Iran, all three indexes are now trading well above where they began 2026.
Venu Krishna, head of U.S. equity strategy at Barclays, pointed to a strong economic growth outlook and an intact tech story as catalysts to keep this strong market rally going from here.
“The story is good, so we remain optimistic. The last thing I would say is that the pace of this recovery has been so strong in such a short period of time, it does leave some potential for a little bit of a breather in the short term,” he said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on Thursday afternoon. “But … I think the trajectory, the direction, is pretty strong.”
ISM manufacturing index still positive but prices index hits four-year high
U.S. factory activity expanded in April even as price levels reached a four-year high, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday.
The ISM manufacturing index turned in a reading of 52.7, unchanged from March and just slightly below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 53.0. Anything above 50 represents growth for the survey, which measures the percentage share of companies reporting expansion.
While the headline reading was stable, the prices index surged another 6.3 points to 84.6, the highest level since April 2022 as companies reported higher charges from tariffs and surging energy costs associated with the Iran war. At the same time, employment dipped further into contraction at 46.4, down 2.3 points.
— Jeff Cox
Stocks rise as May trading begins
The three major averages opened with gains on Friday, the first trading day of May.
The S&P 500 rose 0.4% shortly after the opening bell, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 184 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite moved up 0.3%.
— Sean Conlon
Oil prices fall
Oil prices fell Friday on a report that Iran and the U.S. continue to communicate about a draft peace agreement through mediators in Pakistan.
U.S. crude oil futures fell nearly 2% to $103.27 per barrel by 9:03 a.m. ET. International benchmark Brent edged 0.2% lower to $110.23. Read more.
— Lim Hui Jie and Spencer Kimball
Eyes are on Abel to see whether he can rekindle enthusiasm without Buffett at Berkshire annual meeting
Greg Abel, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks with CNBC from the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha Nebraska on May 1st, 2026.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
For decades, Berkshire Hathaway‘s annual meeting has doubled as a kind of financial Woodstock, drawing tens of thousands to hear Warren Buffett dispense homespun wisdom, crack jokes and field hours of questions.
This year will be different.
For the first time, the 95-year-old Buffett won’t be the central figure on stage, marking a new era for one of the investing world’s most closely watched rituals. The shift puts a spotlight on Greg Abel, who took over as CEO at the start of 2026, and raises a question hanging over Omaha: what does Berkshire look like without the man who defined it?
Investors and analysts said the tone is likely to move away from Buffett’s signature mix of investing philosophy and life advice toward a more business-focused discussion of operations, capital allocation and a more granular view into the conglomerate’s inner workings. Read more.
— Yun Li
Apple, Roku, Estee Lauder among the stocks making moves before the bell
Check out the companies making the biggest moves premarket:
- Apple — Shares were up 3.5%. For the fiscal second quarter, Apple’s earnings came in at $2.01 per share, while revenue landed at $111.18 billion. This beat the earnings of $1.95 a share and $109.66 billion in revenue analysts were looking for, per LSEG. Still, the company’s iPhone sales missed estimates for the second time in three quarters.
- Roku — The streaming stock popped 7% after Roku posted first-quarter revenue of $1.25 billion, beating the expected $1.20 billion, per FactSet. The company’s $148.4 million adjusted EBITDA was also ahead of estimates calling for $131.3 million. The company also sees adjusted EBITDA, revenue and gross profit for its current quarter coming above analysts’ expectations.
- Estee Lauder — Shares rose more than 11% after the cosmetics company reported better-than-expected third quarter sales in its earnings report. The company reported earnings of $0.91 per share and $3.71 billion in revenue, compared to estimates for $0.65 in earnings per share and $3.69 billion in revenue, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Estee Lauder also announced plans to cut more jobs as part of its turnaround plan.
Read here for the full list.
— Davis Giangiulio and Lisa Kailai Han
Exxon Mobil and Chevron both beat Street’s earnings estimates despite hits from snarled oil shipments
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on March 25, 2026 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
Exxon Mobil and Chevron managed to beat Wall Street’s first-quarter expectations even as the U.S. war with Iran delayed shipments and resulted in accounting charges that weighed on their results.
Accounting for the full impact of their financial hedges and other items, Exxon’s net income declined 45%, while Chevron’s tumbled 36%.
Exxon’s stock was recently up slightly in premarket trading, while Chevron’s shares gained 1%.
Still, after adjustments, Exxon earned $1.16 per share on revenue of $85.14 billion.
Chevron earned $1.41 per share on an adjusted basis, beating LSEG estimates of 95 cents. Chevron’s revenue of $48.61 billion missed analyst estimates of $52.1 billion.
— Spencer Kimball and Christina Cheddar Berk
Asian markets close higher in holiday-thinned trading
A woman walks past an electronic quotation boards displaying the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on May 1, 2026.
Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images
Markets in Australia and Japan closed higher on May Day, with the S&P/ASX 200 snapping an eight-session losing streak.
Australia’s market was up 0.74% and closed at 8,729.8, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.38% to 59,513.12.
The Topix reversed earlier losses to gain 0.04%, ending at 3,728.73.
The Japanese yen strengthened marginally against the dollar on Friday, after reports that Tokyo had intervened to prop up the yen on Thursday, prompting a sharp rally.
The currency was last trading at 156.54 against the greenback, after breaching the 160 level earlier in the week and hitting a two-year high of 160.72.
— Lim Hui Jie
UK stocks open in negative territory on first trading day of new month
The FTSE 100 traded almost 0.4% lower on Friday morning after closing the previous session 1.6% higher.
The U.K. market, which is the only European bourse open for trade Friday due to the May Day holiday on the continent, finished the month of April 2% higher.
FTSE 100.
Drinks manufacturer Diageo gained 1.6% in morning trade after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to lift all tariffs on imports of Scotch whisky, following King Charles III’s state visit this week. Diageo’s whisky brands include Johnnie Walker and Talisker.
Meanwhile, shares in NatWest were 3.7% lower after the U.K. bank reported its first quarter earnings. Pre-tax profits topped £2 billion ($2.7 billion), up 12.2% on the £1.8 billion generated in the same period last year, and ahead of the £1.9 billion expected by analysts.
— Hugh Leask
Market holidays across Asia and Europe — but Japan, the UK and US keep on, keeping on
Both the pan-European Stoxx 600 and Germany’s DAX notched their biggest monthly gains since January 2025 during April. But it was the Italian stock market that outperformed the rest of the continent, with Milan’s FTSE MIB surging almost 9% for its best month since January 2023.
Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, April saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both deliver their best monthly returns since 2020.
Stock markets in Europe are closed for the May Day holiday on Friday. London is the exception, with the U.K.’s FTSE 100 expected to open slightly below the flatline later, according to IG data.
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England on Thursday both held interest rates as expected — but the specter of impending hikes loomed over policymakers’ statements. Traders are now pricing a 75% chance that the ECB hikes in June, and a more than 50% chance that the Bank of England does the same, according to LSEG data.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told CNBC’s Ritika Gupta that policymakers must now contend with the “most difficult combination” of economic effects.
— Katie Foley
Australian and Japan markets open higher; most Asian markets closed for May Day
Australian and Japanese markets were mostly higher on Friday, even as most Asian markets were closed for the May Day holiday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was marginally up to start the day, but the Topix was 0.62% down.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.98%, on pace to snap an eight-session losing streak.
Oil prices climbed Friday, a day after a volatile session that saw the Brent crude contract for June hit a four-year high before retreating. The June contract, which expired on Thursday, climbed to $126.41 a barrel before settling at $114.01.
On Friday, the July Brent futures contract rose 1.11% to $111.63 as of 10:15 p.m. ET, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for June gained 0.45% to $105.54.
— Lim Hui Jie
Stocks making the biggest moves after the bell: Apple, Roblox and more
A photo shows the logo of online game platform and game creation system Roblox at their booth during at the Gamescom video games trade fair at the Trade Fair Center in Cologne, western Germany, on Aug. 21, 2025.
Ina Fassbender | AFP | Getty Images
These are the stocks moving the most in extended-hours trading:
- Apple — Shares rose nearly 3%. For the fiscal second quarter, Apple’s earnings came in at $2.01 per share, while revenue landed at $111.18 billion.
- Roblox — Shares of the online gaming platform tanked 21%. Roblox slashed its guidance for full-year bookings, calling for a range of $7.33 billion to $7.60 billion.
- Reddit — The social media platform operator jumped about 12%. Daily active users in the first quarter narrowly beat estimates, coming in at 126.8 million versus the StreetAccount consensus forecast for 125.9 million.
Read the full list of stocks moving here.
— Lisa Kailai Han
Information technology is the only sector to end Thursday lower
Information technology stocks fell 0.63% on Thursday, making the sector the only one of the 11 GICS sectors to end Thursday’s trading session lower.
But the sector rose 17.44% in April, making it the second-highest performing sector on the month. Communication services stocks took the lead, gaining 18.43% in April.
Energy stocks were the laggard for the month, shedding 3.51% in April. Health care was the only other sector to end the month lower than where it began, notching a 0.58% loss.
— Lisa Kailai Han
Stock futures open little changed
Stock futures opened little changed on Thursday evening.
Shortly after 6 p.m. ET, futures tied to all three major averages were trading just around the flatline.
— Lisa Kailai Han
