Middle East Conflict Escalates, Major Indices Down Nearly 1.5%

The three top indexes were each down nearly 1.5% near noon following fresh military strikes and widening hostilities in the Middle East, triggering concerns about prolonged conflict and its potential to disrupt global energy markets. Iran's Strait of Hormuz, the globe's most vital transit route for crude oil, has been closed, with Reuters reporting that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said Iran would set ablaze ships attempting to pass through the strait. Oil prices are up about 4% at midday following the news, while gold prices are dropping nearly 5% as the commodity sees continued volatility.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Targetreportedand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26Best Buyreportedand increased its quarterly dividendMongoDBreported better-than-expected Q4 earnings and revenue butPinterestannounced afrom Elliott Investment Management, saying it expects to use the proceeds to repurchase sharesAppleannounced aand announced new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips2. WALL STREET CALLS:Blockto Buy at HSBCMongoDBto Neutral at BairdPalo Alto Networksto Buy from Sell at AreteuniQurereceived, from Wells Fargo and Mizuho, after the company said the FDA "strongly recommended" a new Huntington's disease studyWall Streetof recent IPOs Once Upon a Farmand SpyGlass Pharma3. AROUND THE WEB:Federal Communications Commission, FCC, chair Brendan Carr has signaled the watchdog does not plan to block Paramount's$110B deal to buy Warner Bros, FT saysA Waymorobotaxi briefly blocked an ambulance near the scene of a mass shooting in Austin while en route to pick up a passenger, an incident confirmed by both Waymo and EMS officials, Axios reportsHims'pharmacy partner will reintroduce a compounded pill version of GLP-1 drug Wegovy that was pulled from the market last month, Endpoints News saysDF Research, representing the opinions of Keith Dalrymple and Dalrymple Finance, issued a cautious note on WillScotU.S. officials are weighing imposing caps on the number of H200 chips Nvidiacan export to any single Chinese company, Bloomberg says4. MOVERS:Battalion Oilgains after entering into a definitive agreement toat a price of $5.50 per shareZiff Davishigher after entering aits Connectivity division to Accenturefor $1.2B in cashPlug Powerincreases after appointingTheravance Biopharmafalls after announcing it willprogram after Phase 3 resultsThredUPlower afterand providing guidance for FY265. EARNINGS/GUIDANCEUpload Softwareand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26Antalpha, with CFO Paul Liang commenting that the company "finished 2025 on a solid footing"Paysafe, with EPS beating consensusCignafor FY26 as it announced a change in CEOOn Holdingand provided guidance for FY26INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was down 1.45%, or 710.52, to 48,194.26, the Nasdaq was down 1.38%, or 313.63, to 22,435.23, and the S&P 500 was down 1.35%, or 91.83, to 6,788.43.