How major US stock indexes fared Thursday 5/21/2026

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U.S. stocks ticked higher following the latest reversal for oil prices.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Thursday and inched closer to its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.1%.

All three indexes erased early drops and gained strength after the price of a barrel of Brent dropped from $109 in the morning to settle below $103. Oil prices have swung with uncertainty about what will happen with the Iran war. The lower oil prices helped yields to ease in the bond market.

On Thursday:

The S&P 500 rose 12.75 points, or 0.2%, to 7,445.72.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 276.31 points, or 0.6%, to 50,285.66.

The Nasdaq composite rose 22.74 points, or 0.1%, to 26,293.10.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 26.09 points, or 0.9% to 2,843.45.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 37.22 points, or 0.5%.

The Dow is up 759.49 points, or 1.5%.

The Nasdaq is up 67.95 points, or 0.3%.

The Russell 2000 is up 50.15 points, or 1.8%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 600.22 points, or 8.8%.

The Dow is up 2,222.37 points, or 4.6%.

The Nasdaq is up 3,051.11 points, or 13.1%.

The Russell 2000 is up 361.55 points, or 14.6%.