(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, the economic data and the headline were updated in the story.)
Futures related to U.S. stocks ticked up in pre-market trading on Thursday, after the benchmark S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose to fresh records in the previous session, as investors weighed signs of easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Sentiment was supported by growing hopes of a possible diplomatic breakthrough after President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Wednesday that the Iran war was “very close to over” and that Tehran was eager to strike a deal. He also said that talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday.
A White House official also told CNBC that a second round of U.S.-Iran talks was under discussion, though no date has been set.
Investors are also pricing in earnings before the bell from PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Travelers (NYSE:TRV), and Charles Schwab Corp (NYSE:SCHW), alongside weekly jobless claims and March’s industrial production data.
In a speech on Thursday, New York Fed President John Williams said that the Middle East conflict has introduced substantial risks and heightened uncertainty. He said the war is driving “significant increases in energy prices, which are already lifting overall inflation.”
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.283%, and the two-year bond was at 3.755%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.23% |
| S&P 500 | 0.13% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.19% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.30% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket trading on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.16% at $701.07, while the …