* Utilities gain as investors seek defensive sectors amid Middle East conflict and market volatility * Rising AI-driven electricity demand boosts sector * Ceasefire prompts shift back to cyclical stocks, with fund managers eyeing growth sectors By Chibuike Oguh NEW YORK, April 10 (Reuters) - U.S. utility stocks marked their strongest start to the year since 2019, benefiting from an...

06:38 AM EDT, 04/10/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The most-talked-about stocks in the Reddit subforum Wallstreetbets were mixed hours before Friday's opening bell. Sandisk ( SNDK ) advanced by 1.5% in premarket hours, after a 9.1% increase from the previous session. Microsoft ( MSFT ) was 0.5% higher premarket, swinging from a 0.3% decline at Thursday's close. Meta Platforms ( META...

NEW YORK, April 10 (Reuters) - U.S. utility stocks marked their strongest start to the year since 2019, benefiting from an investor retreat from riskier assets during the Iran war and strong electricity demand from firms building out artificial intelligence infrastructure. The S&P 500 Utilities Index gained 7.5% in the first quarter, notching its strongest opening stretch since the first...

* S&P 500 earnings seen up over 14% in first quarter * Goldman Sachs ( GS ) reports Monday, JPMorgan ( JPM ), Citigroup ( C ) due Tuesday * Netflix ( NFLX ), J&J, PepsiCo ( PEP ) reports also due; PPI highlights economic data * Iran developments in focus as US stocks rebound from post-war declines By Lewis...