U.S. stock index futures moved lower on Sunday evening as fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran produced few signs of de-escalation, while investors prepared for a busy second-quarter earnings calendar.
At 19:16 ET (23:16 GMT), S&P 500 Futures were down 0.3% at 7,598.50 points. Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.5% to 29,890.50 points, and Dow Jones Futures traded 0.2% lower at 52,814.0 points.
Conflict in the Middle East and market reaction
U.S. Central Command said it had launched additional strikes on Iran over the weekend, and separate reports indicated Tehran had responded with attacks on U.S. bases in the region. Tehran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to commercial shipping, while Centcom countered that the waterway remained open. Those conflicting accounts contributed to an elevated risk tone in markets and drove a sharp move higher in oil prices on Sunday evening. Despite the spike, Brent crude continued to trade well below the peaks seen at the start of the U.S.-Iran hostilities.
The latest escalation follows comments last week from President Donald Trump that a ceasefire with Tehran was over, paired with his statement that Iran had reached out seeking additional dialogue. The combination of continued strikes and mixed diplomatic signals left traders weighing the implications for energy markets and the broader economic outlook.
Wall Street and the earnings calendar
On Friday, major U.S. equity indexes closed higher, with the S&P 500 near record territory after a notably strong Nasdaq listing debut by SK Hynix’s Nasdaq-traded shares. The Nasdaq and Dow each rose about 0.3% that session.
This week brings the formal start of second-quarter earnings reporting and a concentration of major bank results. JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), and Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) are scheduled to report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and Bank of New York Mellon Corp (NYSE:BNY) are set to report on Wednesday. Corporate reporting this week also includes pharmaceutical and semiconductor names, with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), ASML Holding NV (AS:ASML), and TSMC (NYSE:TSM) among those slated to release second-quarter results. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE), and Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) are expected to report later in the week.
Market participants will be closely watching whether companies can sustain profits amid disruptions linked to the Iran conflict and rising energy costs. The interplay between geopolitical risk, energy prices, and corporate margins will be a key focus as quarterly reports are released.
What to watch this week
- How energy markets react to any further developments in U.S.-Iran strikes and to competing statements about the Strait of Hormuz.
- Earnings from major banks on Tuesday and from several large-cap technology, healthcare, and industrial companies throughout the week.
- Whether higher energy prices feed through to corporate margins and influence forward guidance in earnings reports.
For now, futures trading on Sunday evening reflected cautious sentiment as investors awaited both further geopolitical news and corporate results that will help clarify the economic picture for the second quarter.