12:17 PM EDT, 06/24/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with index/price moves and political/company news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes rose in midday trading Wednesday amid a sharp decline in crude oil prices and government bond yields.

The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.6% to 25,751.3, with the S&P 500 up 0.6% to 7,412.7 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average higher by 0.9% to 52,127.6.

All but three sectors, energy, real estate, and financials, rose. Consumer discretionary, industrials, and communication services topped the gainers.

Front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent sank 3.9% to $74.05 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate slid 3.8% to $70.45 per barrel.

Ships have begun sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under a new scheme by the International Maritime Organization to evacuate the trapped vessels, a spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. The initiative will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through Hormuz.

Most US Treasury yields declined, with the 10-year down 9.3 basis points to 4.4%. The two-year rate dropped 5.2 basis points to 4.15%.

In precious metals, gold futures dropped 3.2% to $4,018.90, and silver futures slumped 5.3% to $59.20.