Finance

Major U.S. stock indexes trended higher on Friday following reports that a provisional deal to end the conflict in the Middle East and reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be signed as early as this weekend. This geopolitical de-escalation led to a sharp rebound in equities, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing nearly 930 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rising 2.5%.

Energy prices fell to nearly two-month lows as West Texas Intermediate crude dropped roughly 2.8% to approximately $85.24 per barrel. The decline was triggered by President Trump's decision to call off planned military strikes on Iran, which significantly reduced market fears of immediate supply disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

Recent data from May 2026 indicates that solar power provided 12.8% of the nation's electricity, officially overtaking coal's 12.2% share for the first time in American history. While federal policy has prioritized other energy sources, solar and storage continue to dominate new power additions, accounting for nearly 90% of all capacity added recently.