--- title: "Stock Market Today, April 21: Markets in Wait-and-See Mode as Hopes for New U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Fade" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283566363.md" description: "The S&P 500 fell 0.63% to 7,064.01, the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.59% to 24,259.96, and the Dow Jones declined 0.59% to 49,149.38 amid U.S.-Iran conflict uncertainty. UnitedHealth Group outperformed on strong earnings, while GE Aerospace and RTX slipped despite beating estimates. Geopolitical jitters and rising oil prices weighed on markets. Kevin Warsh, nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, addressed the Senate, raising concerns about interest rates and market volatility. The Motley Fool recommends 10 stocks over the S&P 500 Index, highlighting potential for significant returns." datetime: "2026-04-21T22:30:39.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283566363.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283566363.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283566363.md) --- # Stock Market Today, April 21: Markets in Wait-and-See Mode as Hopes for New U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Fade The **S&P 500** (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.63% to 7,064.01, the **Nasdaq Composite** (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.59% to 24,259.96, and the **Dow Jones Industrial Average** (DJINDICES:^DJI) declined 0.59% to 49,149.38 as uncertainty about the U.S.-Iran conflict weighed on markets. ## Market movers **UnitedHealth Group** (NYSE:UNH) outperformed on strong earnings. **GE Aerospace** (NYSE:GE) and defense supplier **RTX** (NYSE:RTX) both slipped despite beating analyst Q1 estimates. Tim Cook’s planned exit as **Apple** (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO weighed on the stock while **Tesla** (NASDAQ:TSLA) slipped in the run-up to tomorrow’s earnings release. ## What this means for investors Geopolitical jitters drove markets downward today as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained restricted and oil prices pushed upwards again. News that President Trump would extend the ceasefire broke after trading, which could potentially boost stocks tomorrow in ongoing headline-driven trading. The wait-and-see mode after last week’s record highs shows how quickly sentiment can change. As uncertainty continues to dominate sentiment, these dividend stocks can offer a way to generate passive income and balance portfolios. Kevin Warsh, the nominee to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in May, addressed the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development today. He faced questions about various issues, including Fed independence and AI. For investors, that transition is worth watching, not only because it could impact interest rates, but also because any issues with the nomination could contribute to further volatility. ## Should you buy stock in S&P 500 Index right now? Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this: The _Motley Fool Stock Advisor_ analyst team just identified what they believe are the **10 best stocks** for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when **Netflix** made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $511,411**!\* Or when **Nvidia** made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, **you’d have $1,238,736**!\* Now, it’s worth noting _Stock Advisor’s_ total average return is 986% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 199% for the S&P 500. **Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with _Stock Advisor_, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.** **See the 10 stocks »** _\*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2026._ _Emma Newbery has positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, GE Aerospace, RTX, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends UnitedHealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy._ The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. ### Related Stocks - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [UNH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNH.US.md) - [.DJI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.DJI.US.md) - [.IXIC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.IXIC.US.md) - [XAR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XAR.US.md) - [IVV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IVV.US.md) - [SPY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPY.US.md) - [XLV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XLV.US.md) - [UNHG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UNHG.US.md) - [VOO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VOO.US.md) - [IXJ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IXJ.US.md) - [IHF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IHF.US.md) - [VHT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VHT.US.md) - [DIA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DIA.US.md) - [ITA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ITA.US.md) - [XHS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XHS.US.md) - [NDAQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NDAQ.US.md) - [GE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GE.US.md) - [RTX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RTX.US.md) - [AAPL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AAPL.US.md) - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [NFLX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLX.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [Mapping the Market: How resilient is the stock rally? 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