US stocks ended sharply higher on Thursday, with indexes extending gains after US President Donald Trump said he cancelled planned strikes against Iran, and on the eve of the market debut of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The three major indexes registered their biggest daily percentage gains since April 8, when the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Trump's comments came hours before the expected strikes.
Trump later told reporters at the White House that the US and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend that would reopen shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.