03:41 PM EDT, 03/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose ahead of the close on Tuesday after fresh attacks in the Middle East war continued to drive oil prices higher.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4% to 22,469.4, with the S&P 500 up 0.3% to 6,720.2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1% to 47,029.6. All US sectors were in the green, except health, consumer staples and utilities. Energy and consumer discretionary sectors led the gainers.

US producers are poised to earn an additional $63.4 billion in cash flow if West Texas Intermediate crude averages $100 per barrel for 2026, the Financial Times reported, citing data from Rystad Energy.

"The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," US President Donald Trump said in a social media post last Thursday.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 2.4% to $95.77.

Most US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 2 basis points to 4.2%. The two-year yield slipped to 3.67%.

In economic news, US pending home sales rose by 1.8% in February, rebounding from a 0.9% decline in January, and more than the 0.6% decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, according to the National Association of Realtors. The monthly sales index fell 0.8% from February 2025.

"The slight gain in pending contracts appears to be driven by improved affordability conditions," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said. "However, those conditions could reverse if higher oil prices lead to an uptick in mortgage rates."

Business activity continued to contract in the New York-Northern New Jersey region in March, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Business Leaders Survey. The business activity index was little changed at -22.6, while the business climate index fell to -46.2, implying a business climate much worse than normal.

For the four weeks ended Feb. 28, US private employers added an average of 9,000 jobs per week, down from 14,750 in the week earlier, according to ADP Employment Change data.

In company news, Uber Technologies ( UBER ) and Nvidia ( NVDA ) said late Monday they intend to launch a global fleet of autonomous vehicles powered by L4 software from the chipmaker in H1 2027. The initial deployment will occur in Los Angeles and San Francisco before expanding to 28 cities globally by 2028. Uber ( UBER ) shares rose 4.9%, while Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares fell 0.4%.