US futures edge higher as Middle East tensions, oil prices and Big Tech earnings dominate markets: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street U.S. stock index futures traded modestly higher on Monday as investors balanced escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East against a…
sy week of corporate earnings led by several of America’s largest technology companies. By early morning trading, Dow Jones futures had added around 50 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%
Nasdaq 100 futures outperformed with a gain of 0.5%, supported by expectations ahead of a series of closely watched technology earnings releases. Wall Street finished lower on Friday as concerns grew that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence spending could begin to moderate. Although AI has been a major driver of equity gains this year, some investors have started to question whether current investment levels can be sustained.
Chipmakers were among the weakest performers, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling more than 20% below its June peak, placing the benchmark in bear market territory. Analysts at Vital Knowledge said, “For tech investors, bears won the week overwhelmingly, although the slump was more a function of narrative shift and technical dislocation (extremely crowded and complacent positioning and bullish but stale sentiment) than incrementally negative news flow.” Middle East conflict keeps markets on edge Geopolitical risks remained a key focus after the United States carried out military operations against Iran for a ninth consecutive day, raising concerns that disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could continue. Iran said two oil tankers had been struck and disabled, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed responsibility for attacks targeting U.S. military assets in Jordan, Kuwait and Syria.