US stocks hit record highs as Strait of Hormuz talks progress
Dow Jones and S&P 500 close at all-time highs amid falling oil prices and optimism over Iran negotiations
MediaBias Comparison Desk
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised
This article was written at the MediaBias News desk from the one-paragraph digests an aggregator publishes for each of the outlets listed below it, together with 2 of those outlets' own reports read in full. How we do it
Traders work July 27 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City. Stocks surged again Tuesday, ending at record highs. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Photograph: UPI (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 54,085.99 on 4 August 2026, a record high, after rising 907.47 points.
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said talks with Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to a 5.26% drop in Brent crude prices.
- Caterpillar stock rose over 5% after reporting higher-than-expected Q2 earnings, driven by demand for construction equipment at AI data centres.
- No left- or right-rated outlets reported on the stock market records or the Hormuz negotiations on 4 August 2026.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 8 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
55/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
35/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both closed at record highs on 4 August 2026. The Dow rose 907.47 points, or 1.71%, to 54,085.99. The S&P 500 crossed 7,700 for the first time, ending at 7,736.52, a 1.79% increase. The Nasdaq Composite gained 2.59%, closing at 26,584.99.
Brent crude oil prices fell to $79.36 per barrel, a 5.26% drop. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant told CNBC that talks with Iran could lead to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He said a deal might be reached within days. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reported progress in negotiations between Iran and Oman.
Caterpillar stock rose more than 5% after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 earnings. Demand for its construction equipment, particularly for AI data centres, contributed to the gains. Palantir Technologies shares surged 29.5%, its best day in over two years, after reporting strong Q2 earnings driven by AI sovereign tools.
What the coverage left out
No left- or right-rated outlets reported on the stock market records or the Strait of Hormuz negotiations on 4 August 2026. The story was covered only by UPI, a centre-rated outlet.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 5 Aug 2026, 01:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- UPI led its report with the record highs for the Dow Jones and S&P 500. It highlighted the role of falling oil prices and optimism over the Strait of Hormuz negotiations in driving the gains. The report quoted US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant’s statement that a deal to reopen the strait could be reached within days. It also noted the performance of individual stocks, including Caterpillar and Palantir, and included commentary from Thierry Wizman of Macquarie Group on market sentiment.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The four right-rated digests agree that US stock indices reached record highs on 4 August 2026, driven by progress in talks over the Strait of Hormuz. All mention a drop in oil prices linked to the same negotiations. Three of the four specify the S&P 500 and Dow Jones as the indices setting new records.
- Three digests attribute the market movement to statements from officials or analysts. Zero Hedge and Globo cite comments from Scott Bessent and unnamed Qatari and American officials, respectively. Reformatorisch Dagblad refers to progress in US-Iran talks without naming sources. Yonhap does not identify who reported the negotiation progress.
- None of the digests mention the specific companies whose earnings were reported on the day, beyond Globo’s reference to Palantir, McDonald’s, and Caterpillar. None include a cost estimate for the Strait of Hormuz reopening or quote Iranian officials.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
2Right
4- In NY, Dow Jones and S&P 500 Renew Records with Possible Re-Opening of Ormuz and Swings (opens Globo in a new tab)
- Gains on Wall Street After Hopes for Deal over Strait of Hormuz (opens Reformatorisch Dagblad in a new tab)
Reformatorisch Dagblad — is Reformatorisch Dagblad biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. S&P 500 Hits Highest in 2 months... Oil Prices Fall Below $80 (opens 연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency in a new tab)
연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency — is 연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Futures Hit Record High As Oil Tumbles After Bessent Says Hormuz May "Reopen Tomorrow" (opens Zero Hedge in a new tab)
Zero Hedge — is Zero Hedge biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
8- Wall Street Closes High with Possible Ormuz Reopening Agreement (opens CNN Brasil in a new tab)
CNN Brasil — is CNN Brasil biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hopes for the Strait of Hormuz Sent Markets Soaring: 2 Indices Hit Record Highs. (opens Halk TV in a new tab)
- Canadian and U.S. markets rally on tech optimistim, hope for Hormuz reopening (opens Western Investor in a new tab)
Western Investor
- Canadian and U.S. markets rally on tech optimistim, hope for Hormuz reopening (opens Airdrie City View in a new tab)
Airdrie City View — is Airdrie City View biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Wall Street Sees Wild Rise − S&P 500 Hits New Record (opens arvopaperi.fi in a new tab)
arvopaperi.fi
- Stocks Finish Sharply Higher on Strong Earnings and Push to Reopen Hormuz (opens Barchart.com in a new tab)
Barchart.com — is Barchart.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The S&P 500 Leads to Historic Peaks Thanks to the Momentum of the Ormuz Agreement (opens La República in a new tab)
La República — is La República biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Record to Record: S&P 500 and Dow Jones Get New Record Highs Before SpaceX (opens Business Insider (Spain) in a new tab)
Business Insider (Spain)
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