CNBC Business News Update - Market Open: Stocks Higher, Oil Lower, Morgan Stanley, Bank Of America Out With Strong Results 4/15/26

Episode Date: April 15, 2026

The CNBC Business News Update with Jessica Ettinger features market numbers & news with CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business names. Updated throughout the business day. Visit https://www.cnbc.com/ for more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Jessica Ettinger, CNBC. Stocks are higher out of the gate this morning on Wall Street. The Dow up 65 points. The S&P 500 index up 14 points, and the NASDAQ is adding 79 points this morning. Shares of NVIDIA up 3 quarters of 1%. The NASDAX on a 10-session winning streak, it's longest in more than four years. The last 10 days, the S&P 500 is up 9.8%. That's one of the best 10-day rallies we've ever seen in history.

You have to go after Liberation Day, after COVID, January of 2019, and then April and July of 2009. We get the uncertainty in the Middle East. It's still there. It's the bull market and new highs are coming. That's the Carson Groups, Ryan Dietrich on CNBC. Here's Silvercrest's Robert Teeter on CNBC. One of the things that I think a lot of strategists have gotten wrong and the market's gotten right so far has been separating the geopolitical effect from the economic and market effect. And the geopolitical noise will probably last for some time.

But the way the market's been interpreting it is it's a very clear pass-through effect. A number of oil barrels that have been taken off the market is a pass-through to gas prices, pass-through to drag on the consumer. And we can model that out and get our arms around it. And I think that's why the market's gotten comfortable with it, is it can quantify the risk. Tech shares this morning in the green include meta. That's the Facebook parent, up 8 tenths of a percent.

Microsoft shares are up 1.5 percent this morning. President Trump today threatening to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he doesn't leave on his own. Powell will be replaced as chairman of the Fed by a Trump pick at the end of his term. But Powell can stay on as a Fed governor. Trump's threat may set up a legal showdown. Investors are hopeful for a resolution in the Middle East. U.S. crude oil for May, $91 a barrel. For June, $88 a barrel.

is dropping as investors hope for new peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. crude has been pulling lower on headlines suggesting the U.S. and Iran are moving closer to a second round of peace talks. But as of right now, there is no set place and time. Of course, the first round of talks collapsed over Iran's nuclear program, and the gap between both sides here remains wide. President Trump also sending a pretty clear signal on where he thinks this ends, though. He told Fox News the war is very close to being over. and that Iran wants to make a deal very badly. CNBC's Dan Murphy in Dubai.

AAA says gas prices are a little lower again today, down six cents from the same time a week ago. The national average for a gallon of regular gas, it's sitting at $4.10. Morgan Stanley quarterly results beat estimates as trading revenue beat expectations by a billion dollars. Bank of America, the country's second biggest lender, also beat expectations.

Trump accounts, also named 530A accounts, are now in the names of 5 million American kids. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells CNBC about 1.2 million of these children are eligible for the $1,000 government seed money. That's only for babies born between 2025 and 2028. Kids not in that group, but still under age 18, they can deposit up to $5,000 from family, nonprofits, or paychecks. until they turn 18 and that money will grow tax deferred. Walmart's private label, great value, getting a brand refresh. It's going to look different in stores with more colorful and modern packaging. Today is tax deadline day for the IRS.

Jessica Eddinger, CNBC. Money doesn't make the world go around. Information does. And CNBC is the great economic equalizer because we provide that information so you can make the decisions that are right for you.