The Biggest Things Driving the Nasdaq Lower Today: Iran Blockade Rattles Tech

1 week ago 8

Michael Williams

Mon, April 13, 2026 astatine 9:19 AM CDT 5 min read

  • Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) slipped 0.34% successful aboriginal Monday trading aft U.S.-Iran bid talks collapsed and President Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, sending West Texas Intermediate crude supra $100 per tube and hammering growth-sensitive tech stocks. Software stocks experienced their worst sentiment successful years with hedge money vulnerability down to 1.4% of full U.S. nett exposure, portion semiconductor stocks proved much resilient with 17 caller all-time highs this year.

  • QQQ faces a captious trial of however overmuch geopolitical daze the marketplace volition absorb, with Q1 net play opening this week and the trajectory of Iran-U.S. diplomacy becoming the azygous astir important adaptable for the Nasdaq.

  • The expert who called NVIDIA successful 2010 conscionable named his apical 10 AI stocks. Get them present FREE.

The NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) opened Monday nether pressure, slipping 0.34% successful aboriginal trading aft 21 hours of U.S.-Iran bid talks implicit the play collapsed without a deal. President Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, effectual 10 a.m. ET Monday, sending lipid prices surging and rattling growth-sensitive tech stocks. The league tests however overmuch geopolitical hazard the marketplace volition sorb earlier the broader selloff deepens. The NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) is destined for a chaotic thrust this week arsenic the US / Iran struggle seems destined for different circular of on-again, off-again diplomacy.

Talks stalled implicit 2 irreconcilable demands: the U.S. insisted Iran springiness up its atomic programme entirely, portion Iran demanded power implicit postulation done the Strait of Hormuz. Trump moved instantly to the blockade option. Iran's National Security Commission spokesperson called the blockade "an enactment of war," and warned that nary larboard successful the Persian Gulf oregon Sea of Oman would beryllium safe.

The vigor marketplace is pricing successful the disruption. OPEC crude lipid accumulation plunged successful March to 20.79 cardinal barrels a day, a diminution of 7.89 cardinal barrels, with OPEC+ output falling to 35.05 cardinal barrels a time arsenic the Strait of Hormuz closure took effect. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed backmost supra $100 per tube Monday morning, extending a month-long surge. WTI had traded astatine astir $81 successful aboriginal March earlier climbing to astir $114 by aboriginal April, a level that sits astatine the 99.6th percentile of the past year's range.

READ: The expert who called NVIDIA successful 2010 just named his apical 10 AI stocks

Damage wrong the Nasdaq is not uniform. Software stocks are experiencing their worst sentiment successful years, with hedge money nett vulnerability to bundle down to conscionable 1.4% of full U.S. nett exposure, from 7% astatine the commencement of the year. Semiconductor stocks person been comparatively resilient, posting 17 caller all-time highs this twelvemonth and outperforming bundle by much than 15% implicit the past 5 trading days, the largest specified dispersed successful implicit 25 years.

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