Wall Street rallies on Thursday; the Nasdaq gains more than 2% and the fear index drops 10%

The main US stock indexes were higher in Thursday's session on 30 July 2026 (8 Mordad 1405). As of 18:30 Tehran time, with roughly five hours of trading left, Trading Economics recorded the S&P 500 at 7,382 points, up 0.91 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 51,751 points, up 0.30 percent. Yahoo Finance over the same window reported the S&P 500 at 7,383 points, up 0.93 percent, and the Dow at 51,734 points, up 0.27 percent.

The Nasdaq led the market. According to Yahoo Finance, the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.19 percent to 24,977 points, while the Nasdaq 100 in Trading Economics data was up 2.42 percent. The Russell 2000 gained 0.59 percent to 2,923 points. The VIX volatility index, known as the fear index, fell 10 percent to 18.6 points.

The main driver of the technology sector's gain was Microsoft's quarterly report, released after Wednesday's close, which showed revenue of $90 billion above expectations; the company's shares had risen 8 percent in extended trading. Meta Platforms shares, by contrast, had fallen about 8 percent after its own results. Apple and Amazon are due to report after the close on the same day. For Iran's market, risk appetite on Wall Street is followed through the dollar index and the global gold price.