US stocks were mixed on Thursday, April 9, 2026, as the market’s powerful two‑day rebound met renewed geopolitical jitters and a partial rebound in oil prices.
Indexes and overall tone
- After Wednesday’s surge, major averages cooled early as traders reassessed the durability of the U.S.–Iran two‑week ceasefire and monitored fresh headlines out of the Middle East.
- Early-session traded to a modest pullback, with the Dow (48, 185.80, +.58%), S&P 500 (6,824.66, +.62%), and Nasdaq (22, 822.42, +.83%) moving lower, prior to rallying modestly in the second half of the day.
- The small caps on the Russell 2000 (2,636.31, +.60%) remained positive throughout the session,
Geopolitics, oil, and rates
- The two‑week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran showed signs of strain as Iran alleged violations and Israel continued strikes in Lebanon, keeping investors focused on headline risk.
- Brent and WTI, which had plunged more than 10%–13% on the initial ceasefire relief, rebounded roughly 3% on Thursday, lifting energy shares and reviving inflation worries.
- The 10‑year Treasury yield was little changed in the U.S., while European yields pushed higher as traders continued to price in the risk that central banks may need to stay tighter for longer.
The Macro
U.S. macro data for the week of April 6–10 has refreshed the growth, inflation, and sentiment backdrop, with markets digesting ISM services and assorted early‑week activity indicators, mid‑week readings tied to orders and Fed communications, and a heavy Thursday slate that included final Q4 GDP revisions, personal income and outlays, the core PCE inflation gauge, and weekly jobless claims. Taken together, the releases painted a picture of late‑2025 growth that is slowing but still positive, with inflation running above the Fed’s long‑run goal and keeping policymakers in a data‑dependent holding pattern rather than clearly teeing up a rapid easing cycle. Looking ahead to Friday, April 10, the focus turns squarely to March’s Consumer Price Index—headline and core CPI alongside real earnings and the monthly budget statement—which is expected to be the week’s pivotal input for rate expectations, risk appetite, and the path of policy into the second half of 2026.
Sector and style moves
- The market’s leadership continued to tilt away from the mega‑cap tech complex toward more cyclical areas that benefit from easing war fears, including industrials, financials, and select consumer names.
- Energy stocks caught a bid as crude prices bounced, while rate‑sensitive areas—such as parts of growth tech and long‑duration assets—gave back a slice of Wednesday’s rally.
- Internationally, Asia‑Pacific and most European indices finished lower, reflecting skepticism about the ceasefire’s durability, even as U.S. equities tried to hold on to recent gains.
Crypto and broader risk sentiment
- The recent crypto rally, led by bitcoin and ether, slowed as cross‑asset risk appetite cooled alongside equities, though digital assets continued to trade at elevated levels versus earlier in the year. Bitcoin (BTX) was trading at the ~$72.4K level this afternoon.
- Overall risk sentiment shifted from Tuesday–Wednesday’s relief‑rally euphoria toward a more cautious stance, with investors balancing strong recent index gains against the reality that “markets certainly aren’t done with the Iran war,” as one strategist put it.
- Gold prices
VP Watchlist Updates
Below is an update‑style snapshot on the VP Watchlist names for the week, focused on recent catalysts, positioning, and narrative rather than precise price moves.
Broadcom (AVGO, $354.91, +1.22%)
Broadcom’s latest AI alliance with Google parent Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL, GOOG) and Anthropic is less a routine chip deal and more a declaration that the quiet power behind the cloud plans to stay loud for the next decade. The three-way pact locks in custom AI silicon and multi‑gigawatt compute capacity that could reshape who really controls the tollbooths on the generative AI superhighway.
Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (EPRX, $7.08, +2.91%)
Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Eupraxia” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary Diffusphere™ technology designed to optimize local, controlled drug delivery for applications with significant unmet need, co-hosted a Tribe Public www.TribePublic.com, CEO Presentation & Q&A Webinar event, Wednesday, April 1 titled “Turning EOE Into a Once-a-Year Appointment.” The event featured James A. Helliwell, M.D., Co‑founder and CEO of Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: EPRX), who discusses the company’s precision drug‑delivery platform, its approach to Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), and broader pipeline priorities, followed by a focused 5–10 minute Q&A. You may watch it now at this Youtube link.
Eupraxia announced (March 17) positive symptom data from patients in the two highest dose cohorts from its ongoing Phase 1b/2a part of the RESOLVE trial evaluating EP-104GI for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”). “We are very pleased to see such a meaningful symptom response at 24 weeks in the highest dose of the Phase 1b/2a portion of the RESOLVE study,” said Dr. James A. Helliwell, Chief Executive Officer of Eupraxia. “We believe this type of response based on a single administration procedure would represent a compellingly different option for EoE patients. Importantly, the response that we are observing across cohorts 4-9 has increased as patients progress through the study through to week 24. We believe this demonstrates the importance of stable, continuous long-term local steroids in tamping down signs of inflammation quickly and acting on fibrosis in the longer term. Also, as previously reported, we continue to be encouraged by the safety profile that we have observed with EP-104GI. Currently, with 31 patients dosed in the Phase 1b/2a study, and over 220 months of follow up, there have been no reported serious adverse events.”
Modular Medical (MODD, $5.02)
- Modular Medical’s latest regulatory milestone upgrades the narrative: the company has now secured FDA 510(k) clearance for its Pivot tubeless insulin patch pump, moving from “launch‑ready” to “launch‑approved” in the heart of the fast‑growing diabesity market. The FDA has cleared Modular Medical’s Pivot patch pump as a tubeless, removable insulin delivery system, formally validating the device’s design and performance for commercial use in U.S. adults living with diabetes. The clearance converts what had been a Q1 2026 launch “subject to FDA response” into a tangible commercial pathway, giving the company permission to sell into an insulin pump market that has been estimated at roughly 8 billion dollars globally. Pivot is engineered as a simplified, two‑part patch pump with a 3‑milliliter removable reservoir, no need for battery recharging, and the ability to bolus without a dedicated controller, aiming squarely at patients who have stayed on multiple daily injections because traditional pumps felt too complex, cumbersome, or costly. By clearing Pivot, the FDA is effectively endorsing Modular Medical’s attempt to make advanced insulin delivery feel less like adopting a gadget and more like upgrading a daily habit.
The InterGroup Corporation (INTG, $35.05, +.43%)
- InterGroup Corporation delivered (Feb. 17) a notably stronger quarter, highlighted by a 20% jump in total revenue to $17.3 million and a 27% surge in hotel revenue as renovated rooms returned to service and travel demand improved. The company swung from a prior-year net loss to $1.0 million in net income, with operating income more than doubling to $2.0 million, underscoring better cost control and improved operating efficiency. Management further enhanced liquidity and sharpened strategic focus by selling a non-core 12‑unit Los Angeles multifamily property, generating a meaningful gain and additional working capital while maintaining stable performance across its real estate portfolio.
Volato Group, Inc. (SOAR, +4.74%) & M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO, +25.22%)
- flyExclusive (NYSE American: FLYX), the vertically integrated private aviation company, announced (March 25) two milestones in its proprietary technology development: the filing of a utility patent application for a novel aircraft schedule optimization architecture, and the availability of Contrails, its Flight Management System, to other Part 135 operators beginning in Q2 2026. Both announcements coincide with the company’s presence at the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference 2026 in Cleveland. “We have spent years building flyExclusive into one of the most operationally capable private aviation companies in the country. Contrails is how we make that expertise available to the broader industry—and the intellectual property behind it reflects the depth of investment we have made in solving problems that matter to every serious operator. We believe the right technology, built by people who actually run flights, changes what is possible in this industry. Today we are unable to source lift for nearly 300 trip requests per day. We believe Contrails will allow us to address that demand far more efficiently—both within our own operation and through coordination with other operators—and that represents a material revenue opportunity for flyExclusive and for all participating operators.”
- Volato Group, Inc. announced (March 10) that it has entered into an amendment to its Aircraft Management Services Agreement with flyExclusive, Inc. (“FLYX”) providing for the sale of certain legacy intellectual property assets. The agreement provides for consideration valued at approximately $1.3 million, payable in FLYX Class A common stock, subject to customary conditions. The assets relate to legacy intellectual property developed during earlier stages of the Company’s technology initiatives and are not part of Volato’s current operating platforms. Volato continues to evaluate opportunities to streamline its asset base and focus resources on strategic priorities, including the continued development of its core software platforms and the pending business combination with M2i Global, Inc.
- Volato and M2i Global reaffirmed their goal of closing their business combination in the first quarter of 2026, citing steady advancement through SEC review and integration planning as they move toward a combined listing. The deal, originally announced in 2025, will effectively transition Volato from a pure‑play private aviation operator into a diversified platform spanning aviation technology and critical minerals, with M2i shareholders expected to own the majority of the combined entity. Operationally, the partnership is already visible: the two companies recently initiated their first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the United States from Titanium X, underscoring how the critical‑minerals vertical could become a meaningful growth engine as domestic supply‑chain security rises in strategic importance.
- On Feb. 4, M2i Global,Inc.along with Volato Group, Inc. announced that Titanium X has initiated its first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the U.S. under its collaboration agreement.
NVIDIA (NVDA, $183,91, +1.01%) (NOK, $9.55, +1.17%)
- In an AI market obsessed with GPUs and stardust, Nokia (NOK) is quietly reminding investors that none of this magic moves without serious plumbing. While Nvidia (NVDA) prepares to headline its GTC 2026 “Woodstock of AI” showcase, the chip giant has already written a very real check to Nokia, committing a $1 billion investment to help rewire the world’s networks for 5G‑Advanced, 6G, and AI‑native workloads. The message is simple enough: GPUs may be the new rock stars, but networking is the stadium.
- Nvidia delivered strong fourth-quarter results recently, posting revenue of $68.1 billion, well above analyst expectations. Looking ahead, the company projects $7.8 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2026, reflecting continued robust demand for its AI chips even amid broader market headwinds.
- NVIDIA and Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ: NBIS) (March 11) announced a strategic partnership to develop and deploy the next generation of hyperscale cloud for the AI market, from AI natives to enterprises. NVIDIA will invest $2 billion in Nebius.
McDonald’s (MCD, $309.55, +.83%)
- In the run-up to World Protein Day on 27th February, McDonald’s India (West & South), owned and operated by Westlife Foodworld, is celebrating Protein Week, reinforcing its leadership in nutrition-led innovation. Making protein more accessible, affordable and customizable, Indian consumers can use the McDonald’s app to explore these nutritious offerings and avail of protein burgers starting at just INR 69. Enhancing this convenience, consumers ordering via McDelivery can also enjoy free delivery on the Protein Plus meal range.
Opendoor (OPEN, $4.31)
- Opendoor Technologies, a leading e-commerce platform for residential real estate transactions, reported financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. They highlighted the following: October 2025 acquisition cohort tracking as best-performing October in Company history; acquisitions increased 46% quarter-over-quarter while inventory days in possession reduced 23%.
- Opendoor continues to navigate a challenging housing backdrop characterized by still‑elevated mortgage rates and tight existing‑home inventories, which weigh on transaction volumes even as affordability slowly improves. The company’s focus on disciplined acquisition spreads, inventory turns, and ancillary services remains central to the investment debate as markets handicap the pace and magnitude of any 2026 housing recovery.
Tesla (TSLA, $345.62, +.69%)
Elon Musk’s latest Texas-sized ambition is to build his own AI chip empire, and this time the factory floor will sit right next to the robots, rockets, and robotaxis that plan to use it. The Terafab project, a new semiconductor venture linking Tesla (TSLA), SpaceX, and xAI in Austin, aims to churn out custom chips for AI, humanoid robots, and space systems at a scale that makes today’s GPU land rush look like a warm‑up act. Learn more here.
There are open secrets on Wall Street, and then there is SpaceX’s long‑anticipated march toward the public markets, now reportedly via a confidential filing with the SEC that could set up a June debut. For a company that routinely broadcasts rockets into orbit, it is taking a decidedly hush‑hush approach to its paperwork
Serina Therapeutics (NYSE: SER, $2.00)
Serina Therapeutics (NYSE: SER) (www.serinatx.com) seems to have have just traded itself into Wall Street’s good graces, pairing fresh capital with a late-session pop that suggests investors are finally starting to connect the dots between polymer chemistry and portfolio returns. In Huntsville, Alabama, Serina Therapeutics announced definitive agreements for a private placement of common stock and pre-funded warrants that could bring in up to 30 million dollars in gross proceeds. The first 15 million dollar tranche is expected to close on March 20, 2026, with a second tranche of up to 15 million dollars anticipated by April 30, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
What makes the deal stand out in a biotech tape crowded with discounts is the pricing: the securities are being sold at about 2.25 dollars per share, a roughly 68 percent premium to Serina’s March 17 closing price, signaling that insiders are willing to pay up for exposure to the company’s clinical agenda. The financing also adds board-level heft, with director Greg Bailey, M.D., stepping into a Co-Chairman role as he leads the investment, a move that effectively puts the capital and the governance on the same optimistic page. Learn more here.
GeoVax Labs (GOVX, $1.16)
- GeoVax’s (GOVX) latest update on its GEO-MVA program reads less like a small-cap press release and more like a biotech coming-of-age story, with Phase 3 now on the horizon and global health agencies finally circling the dance floor. For investors, the mpox/smallpox candidate is evolving from scientific footnote to potential revenue engine, backed by an accelerated European regulatory path and tangible manufacturing readiness. Learn more here.
- GeoVax announced (Feb. 24) the formation of its Oncology Advisory Board with the appointment of three internationally recognized leaders in immuno-oncology, translational medicine, and clinical development. This Advisory Board will play a central role in guiding the scientific, translational, and clinical advancement of GeoVax’s oncology program, focused primarily on Gedeptin(R), the company’s gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapeutic (GDEPT). GeoVax plans to conduct a Phase 2 trial with Gedeptin in the neoadjuvant setting, pairing it with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In parallel, it will be evaluating combination Gedeptin + ICI strategies across additional solid tumor indications.
- GeoVax announced on Wednesday, Feb. 18 that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Emory University for intellectual property covering the use of Gedeptin(R) in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
- On February 17, GOVX issued a statement endorsing the urgent call to action articulated by Rosamund Lewis, MD (WHO Head, Poxviruses Programme) and colleagues in their recently published PLOS Medicine article, “The mpox epidemic is not over: Reducing disproportionate burden in Africa and persistent global risk require a sustained response.” (https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004893&type=printable).
The Sources
Here’s a numbered source list you can drop under the market summary:
- Yahoo Finance – “Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rebound to extend winning streak; oil rises ahead of US-Iran talks”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-rebound-to-extend-winning-streak-oil-rises-ahead-of-us-iran-talks-200158758.htmlfinance.yahoo - Investopedia – “Markets News, April 9, 2026: U.S. Indexes End Higher, Oil Pares Gains on Iran Ceasefire Optimism; Dow Turns Positive for Year”
https://www.investopedia.com/stock-market-today-dow-jones-s-and-p-500-04092026-11946208investopedia - The Wall Street Journal – “Stock Market Today: Dow Gains; Oil Rebounds After Iran Cease-Fire Gets Off to Shaky Start — Live Updates”
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-04-09-2026wsj - TheStreet – “Stock Market Today (Apr. 9, 2026): Nasdaq, Dow rise despite Iran ceasefire hiccups”
https://www.thestreet.com/latest-news/stock-market-today-apr-9-2026-updatesthestreet - CNBC – “Stocks extend relief rally on hopes that U.S.-Iran ceasefire will stick, Dow turns positive for 2026”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/08/stock-market-today-live-updates.htmlcnbc - Bloomberg – “Oil Rises After Biggest Drop Since 2020 as Hormuz Stays Blocked”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-08/latest-oil-market-news-and-analysis-for-april-9bloomberg - CNBC – “Oil rally loses steam after Israel agrees to negotiate with Lebanon”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/09/oil-prices-today-wti-brent-iran-accuse-us-of-ceasefire-breach.htmlcnbc - MarketWatch – “U.S. stocks end higher as S&P 500, Nasdaq post 4th straight daily gains; Dow ends at 3-week high” (live coverage archive)
https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-500-and-nasdaq-set-for-mixed-start-as-iran-war-stretches-intmarketwatch - MarketWatch – U.S. Economic Calendar
https://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendarmarketwatch - BLS – “Schedule of Selected Releases for April 2026”
https://www.bls.gov/schedule/2026/04_sched.htmbls - “The Week Ahead: Key Economic Events to Watch (6–10 April 2026)”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/week-ahead-key-economic-events-watch-610-april-2026-godocm-slgzflinkedin - FinancialJuice – “Week Ahead: Economic Indicators 6th – 10th April (US)”
https://features.financialjuice.com/2026/04/03/week-ahead-economic-indicators-6th-10th-april-us/features.financialjuice
