NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets made solid gains on Monday as Iran and the U.S. agreed to hold their fire, bringing to an end a series of strikes by both countries, which threatened the fragile ceasefire.

All the major indices advanced, with tech stocks taking the lead in the face of a substantial gain by Alphabet.

"It might be a little bit of light liquidity [due to the holiday-shortened trading week], so you might see bigger-than-expected moves," Joe Tigay, a portfolio manager under Equity Armor Investments, told CNBC Monday. "We also have the end of quarter happening soon, which can cause some window dressing to happen, so advisors are wanting what they report on their quarterly statements to look attractive to their clients, and they've been locking in some gains too. A lot of big names have had really big gains so far this year, so locking them in right now… a lot of advisors are happy to do so," he said.

The Standard and Poor's 500 advanced 86.39 points, or 1.17 percent, to finish at 7,440.41. The broad-market index traded between a session low of 7,348.88 and a high of 7,444.32, with volume reaching 3.485 billion shares. The benchmark remains well above its 52-week low of 6,174.97 and within striking distance of its high of 7,620.90.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 306.63 points, a gain of 0.59 percent, closing at 52,182.74. The blue-chip index moved in a range of 51,949.54 to 52,311.63 during the session, with volume of 568.477 million shares. The Dow continues to trade far above its 52-week low of 43,340.68 and just below its peak of 52,655.66.

The NASDAQ Composite led the charge, soaring 522.53 points, or 2.07 percent, to end the day at 25,820.14, with volume of 8.455 billion shares. Technology and growth stocks powered the index higher, as investors rotated back into mega-cap names following recent pullbacks. Semiconductor and artificial-intelligence-related stocks were among the biggest gainers.

U.S. dollar mixed Monday as euro, pound advance; yen slips

 The U.S. dollar turned in a mixed performance against major currencies on Monday, as the euro and British pound posted solid gains while the Japanese yen weakened, reflecting divergent monetary policy expectations and shifting risk sentiment.

The euro strengthened against the greenback, with the EUR-USD pair trading at 1.1427, a gain of 0.38 percent on the session. The single currency benefited from better-than-expected services data out of the eurozone, reinforcing expectations that the European Central Bank may hold rates steady for longer.

Against the Japanese yen, the dollar advanced, with USD-JPY climbing to 161.92, up 0.18 points, or 0.11 percent. The yen remained under pressure as the interest rate differential between the U.S. and Japan continues to weigh on the currency, despite intermittent intervention concerns from Tokyo.

Sterling also posted a strong showing, with GBP-USD rising to 1.3262, an increase of 0.47 percent. The pound found support from hawkish remarks from Bank of England policymakers, who signalled that persistent wage growth may require further tightening measures.

The Australian dollar, however, lost ground against its U.S. counterpart. The AUD-USD pair slipped to 0.6890, a decline of 0.09 percent, as softer commodity prices and cautious sentiment around China's economic recovery weighed on the resource-linked currency.

The Canadian dollar edged slightly lower, with USD-CAD trading at 1.4202, up 0.05 percent. The modest move came as oil prices steadied after recent volatility, though traders remained focused on upcoming Canadian inflation data due later this week.

The Swiss franc was among the day's stronger performers against the dollar. The USD-CHF pair fell to 0.8073, a drop of 0.30 percent, as safe-haven demand for the franc resurfaced amid modest geopolitical uncertainties and a pullback in U.S. Treasury yields.

Currency markets remained relatively subdued heading into the end of the quarter, with traders squaring positions ahead of key U.S. payrolls data and central bank speeches scheduled for the remainder of the week. Analysts noted that the dollar's direction may hinge on whether the Federal Reserve signals a more dovish path, while the yen's trajectory remains tied to any official intervention or shift in Bank of Japan policy

Global markets close mixed Monday as European indices dip while Asian shares rally

Global stock markets delivered a mixed performance on Monday, with Canadian, UK, and European benchmarks edging lower, while Asian indexes posted solid gains, as investors weighed continuing geopolitical uncertainty, regional economic signals and corporate earnings.

In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 156.18 points, or 0.45 percent, to close at 34,823.82, with volume of 294.191 million. The decline was largely attributed to weakness in the energy sector, as crude oil prices slipped on demand concerns. The TSX had outperformed in recent weeks but gave back some ground as profit-taking set in.

The FTSE 100 in London slipped 23.80 points, or 0.23 percent, to close at 10,484.22. The index traded between a low of 10,471.98 and a high of 10,521.03 during the session.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 44.33 points, a decline of 0.18 percent, finishing at 24,626.89, with an intraday range of 24,556.78 to 24,762.24.

In France, the CAC 40 dropped 17.54 points, or 0.21 percent, ending the day at 8,367.33 after moving between 8,341.26 and 8,391.56.

The broader EURO STOXX 50 bucked the regional trend, climbing 10.08 points, or 0.16 percent, to settle at 6,231.63. The Euronext 100 Index also advanced, rising 3.53 points, or 0.19 percent, to 1,900.94. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the BEL 20 lost 20.50 points, a decline of 0.36 percent, closing at 5,719.28.

Asian markets, painted a brighter picture. Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX surged 354.82 points, or 1.57 percent, to finish at 23,026.68, leading the region.

In mainland China, the SSE Composite Index advanced 46.64 points, or 1.16 percent, to 4,073.90 on heavy turnover of 1.495 billion shares. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed at 69,468.11 on Monday, up 107.23 points, or 0.1 percent.

The STI Index in Singapore added 17.02 points, up 0.33 percent, to end at 5,208.75.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 59.20 points, or 0.68 percent, to 8,823.40, while the broader ALL ORDINARIES gained 62.70 points, a 0.70 percent increase, closing at 9,026.90. Across the Tasman, New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX gained 50.32 points, or 0.37 percent, closing at 13,545.56.

In India, the S&P BSE SENSEX fell 372.10 points, or 0.48 percent, to 76,728.37, amid profit-taking. Elsewhere in the region, the IDX COMPOSITE in Indonesia dropped 75.34 points, or 1.28 percent, to 5,820.79, while Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI edged down 1.83 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,665.91.

In South Korea on Monday, the KOSPI Composite Index declined 16.56 points, or 0.20 percent, to 8,394.65, while Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index jumped 428.14 points, or 0.96 percent, to 44,999.90.

Notable movers in the Middle East included the TA-125 in Israel, which slipped 1.85 points, or 0.05 percent, to 3,966.24.

Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index fell sharply, losing 518.80 points, or 1.03 percent, to close at 49,825.60 on volume of 186.113 million.

In Africa, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index in Johannesburg edged up 4.20 points, a 0.06 percent gain, finishing at 6,658.49.

Trading volumes were generally light in the absence of major economic data.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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