Dow Down, Ascent Solar Technologies Up

All three major indices were mixed today.

The NASDAQ rose 376.93 points.

The DOW fell 72.27 points.

The S&P rose 55.57 points.

Stocks moved mostly higher as optimism around renewed U.S.-Iran peace talks helped push oil prices lower and improved investor sentiment. The broader market rally brought the S&P 500 to its first-ever close above the 7,000 milestone, while the Nasdaq extended its winning streak to eleven straight sessions.

The advance was fueled by mega-cap tech, with easing crude prices helping reduce some immediate inflation pressure and supporting risk appetite across equities. Investors also continued shifting focus toward corporate earnings, which helped reinforce the constructive tone in the market despite the Dow's marginal dip.

All this as Ascent Solar Technologies shares rose $2.38 to end the day at $6.36 per share.

Ascent surged after the company announced it had successfully completed its first major production milestone of the year, fulfilling a series of critical array deployment orders for its defense and aerospace partners. Under the update, the company confirmed that its lightweight, flexible thin-film modules had exceeded efficiency benchmarks during recent environmental testing for space-based applications.

The stock rallied toward the news as the operational progress effectively reset the market's valuation around the company's improved manufacturing capacity and expanding contract pipeline in the civil and defense sectors.