The stock market has still been growing despite increased tension in the Middle East. Travel stocks have been among the biggest losers since the start of the war in Iran on February 28th. United Airlines (UAL), Delta Airlines (DAL), and American Airlines Group (AAL) have all slid at least 10% since the start of the war in Iran. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has lost over 28% of their stock’s value since the start of the war. Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) and Carnival (CCL), who have each dropped at least 15%. Fortunately, they have been returning to pre-war numbers. Hotel giants Marriott International (MAR) and Hilton Worldwide (HLT) also went down, but have recently been soaring, reaching numbers better than before the start of the Iran War. On the other hand, weaponry and defense, and energy stocks have been profiting from the war. Northrop Grumman (NOC) rose more than 6%, before unexpectedly plummeting recently, despite the high demand. Data analytics company Palantir (PLTR) rose over 17% after the start of the war. In the energy industry, ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) both rose over 12%.
Artificial intelligence, microchips and changes in leadership have also been headlines. Technology giant Nvidia (NVDA) has been among the hottest stocks for a while now, with founder and CEO Jensen Huang leading the enterprise to an almost 5 trillion dollar valuation. In one year (April 21, 2025-April 21 2026), Nvidia’s stock price has increased over 102%, from $98.89 to $199.88. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has also been on the rise, its stock value rising almost 230% in one year (April 21, 2025-April 21 2026). From $86.26 to $284.49, the company being worth almost 464 billion dollars.
As for changes in leadership, Disney and Apple have both announced new chief executive officers. Bob Iger will be stepping down as CEO of the Walt Disney Company after nearly 20 years with the corporation. He helped Disney acquire Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, which includes Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Josh D’Amaro will be taking over the role of CEO, after 27 years with the company’s resorts sector. Disney’s stock (DIS) has risen almost 13% in value since Josh D’Amaro took over. As for Apple Inc., Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO after 15 years, and will become executive chairman. John Ternus will be the new CEO, after serving as senior vice president since 2021. The transition will officially take effect on September 1. Their stock’s value has fallen almost 2% since the announcement.
Another enormous headline is the acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery Inc. (WBD) by Paramount Skydance Corporation (PSKY). This happened after the failed 82.7 billion dollar bid in December by Netflix, Inc. (NFLX). Paramount beat Netflix with their own bid of 111 billion dollars. Paramount is set to own the DC Universe, Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, the Conjuring Universe, Inception, Sinners, and countless other media.
Finally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a stock market index holding 30 of the most successful companies listed in the United States, hit 50,000 points for the first time ever. This happened on February 6, when the market closed at 50,115.67 points.
