{"id":60481,"date":"2026-04-02T17:07:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/energy-stocks-surge-as-crude-oil-spikes-sp-500-and-nasdaq-edge-higher\/60481\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T17:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:07:23","slug":"energy-stocks-surge-as-crude-oil-spikes-sp-500-and-nasdaq-edge-higher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/energy-stocks-surge-as-crude-oil-spikes-sp-500-and-nasdaq-edge-higher\/60481\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy Stocks Surge as Crude Oil Spikes; S&P 500 and Nasdaq Edge Higher"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. stock market presents a bifurcated landscape this Thursday, April 2, 2026, as investors grapple with a massive spike in energy prices and a shifting interest rate outlook. While the blue-chip heavy Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average is seeing slight downward pressure, the broader S&P 500<\/a> and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite are managing to hold onto modest gains during mid-day trading.<\/p>\n

Major Market Indexes Performance<\/h2>\n

As of the current session, the S&P 500 (^GSPC)<\/strong> is trading at 6,582.69, up 7.37 points or 0.11%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC)<\/strong> is also showing resilience, rising 38.24 points or 0.18% to reach 21,879.18. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI)<\/strong> has dipped 61.07 points, a decline of 0.13%, to 46,504.67.<\/p>\n

The standout performer of the day is the small-cap Russell 2000 (^RUT)<\/strong>, which has jumped 1.35% to 2,530.04, suggesting a rotation into smaller, domestically focused companies. Meanwhile, the VIX (^VIX)<\/strong>, often referred to as the market's "fear gauge," has dropped 5.47% to 23.87, indicating that despite the volatility in commodities, equity investors are finding some level of calm.<\/p>\n

Energy Sector and Commodity Volatility<\/h2>\n

The defining story of the day is the explosive movement in the energy complex. Crude Oil Futures (CL=F)<\/strong> have skyrocketed by 11.83%, trading at $111.96 per barrel. This surge has sent the United States Oil Fund (USO)<\/strong> up 11.00%, making it the top-performing sector ETF today. Other energy-related assets, such as the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP)<\/strong>, have gained 1.52%.<\/p>\n

Conversely, safe-haven assets and precious metals are under significant pressure. Gold<\/a> Futures (GC=F)<\/strong> have tumbled 2.39% to $4,698.10, while the iShares Silver<\/a> Trust (SLV)<\/strong> has fallen 3.38%. The crypto market is also seeing a pullback, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT)<\/strong> down 1.86% and the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA)<\/strong> sliding 4.02%.<\/p>\n

Corporate News and Earnings Highlights<\/h2>\n

In corporate news, several companies are making waves following their morning announcements. Acuity Inc. (AYI<\/a>)<\/strong> reported its Q2 2026 earnings before the opening bell, posting an estimated EPS of $3.69. Similarly, Lindsay Corporation (LNN<\/a>)<\/strong> released its Q2 results with an estimated EPS of $1.60.<\/p>\n

In the premarket<\/a> and early session, Sky Quarry Inc. (SKYQ<\/a>)<\/strong> saw a staggering 120.2% increase in its stock price, reaching $5.57 on massive volume. Cocrystal Pharma Inc. (COCP<\/a>)<\/strong> also surged 66.7%. On the losing side, Lipocine Inc. (LPCN<\/a>)<\/strong> plummeted 77.5% following a corporate update.<\/p>\n

Major technology players are seeing mixed results as the Nasdaq fluctuates. Nvidia (NVDA<\/a>)<\/strong> and Microsoft (MSFT<\/a>)<\/strong> remain focal points for investors monitoring the AI sector's sustainability. Tesla (TSLA<\/a>)<\/strong> and Apple (AAPL<\/a>)<\/strong> are also under scrutiny as analysts weigh the impact of rising energy costs on consumer spending and manufacturing logistics. Alphabet (GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> continues to trade actively as the market assesses the latest regulatory developments in the tech space.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Market Events<\/h2>\n

Looking ahead, the market is preparing for a busy following week. On Tuesday, April 7th, Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI<\/a>)<\/strong> is scheduled to report earnings after the close. Wednesday, April 8th, will be a pivotal day for the travel and consumer sectors, with Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL<\/a>)<\/strong> reporting before the open and Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ<\/a>)<\/strong> reporting after the close.<\/p>\n

Investors are also keeping a close eye on upcoming economic data, specifically inflation metrics and Federal Reserve commentary, to determine if the current spike in oil prices will force a more hawkish stance from policymakers in the coming months. For now, the market remains in a "wait-and-see" mode, balanced between strong corporate earnings and geopolitical commodity risks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. stock market presents a bifurcated landscape this Thursday, April 2, 2026, as investors grapple with a massive spike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,6824],"tags":[5286,5288,490,5346,633,5353,1876,5716,1967,2643,18236,3710,4223,4380,4461],"class_list":["post-60481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-market-update","category-featured","tag-ibit","tag-etha","tag-lnn","tag-uso","tag-nvda","tag-xop","tag-sp-500","tag-energy-sector","tag-slv","tag-ayi","tag-skyq","tag-federal-reserve","tag-inflation","tag-stock-market","tag-crude-oil"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}