US stock futures rise on Iran deal optimism, oil tumbles

NEW YORK: US stock futures rose on Monday after Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary agreement to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as lower oil prices eased some inflation concerns, supporting bets on a less hawkish stance from the Fed.

The framework for a deal, however, did not address key issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme and the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.

The pact is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Crude prices slid more than 5% following the news to hit their lowest level since March, aiding airlines and cruise stocks – which are sensitive to energy prices – and hurting energy shares.

United Airlines rose 5%, while Delta Air Lines and American Airlines added 4% each in premarket trading.

Norwegian Cruise and Carnival Corp advanced 4.1% each.

Shares of oil majors Exxon Mobil and Chevron each fell 2.5%.

“The caveat is that markets are pricing in a lasting improvement in the situation.

“Any renewed tensions in the Middle East could quickly reverse some of the recent moves, particularly in energy markets,” said Lale Akoner, global market analyst at eToro.

The CBOE Volatility Index, considered Wall Street’s fear gauge, slipped to a more than one-week low at 16.77. It had risen to a more than two-month high the previous week.

Data for May indicated higher energy costs were filtering into consumer inflation, sharpening focus on the US Federal Reserve’s outlook at its policy meeting due to be held later this week, which will be Chair Kevin Warsh’s first since taking charge.

A resumption of oil flows from the Middle East could ease pressure on crude prices, providing policymakers grappling with inflation some relief.

Traders expect the Fed to leave interest rates unchanged this week, but have pared back expectations for a 25-basis-point hike by the end of the year to 70% from fully priced in the previous week, according to LSEG data.

At 6.37am, Dow E-minis rose 427 points, or 0.83%, S&P 500 E-minis added 90.75 points, or 1.22%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis gained 586.25 points, or 1.98%.

SpaceX’s shares rose 5.8% after the Elon Musk-led company ended its blockbuster IPO with a more than US$2 trillion valuation.

Markets were relieved by the smooth trading during SpaceX’s landmark Nasdaq launch, setting a new template for firms and exchanges bracing for the highly anticipated OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs later this year.

All three indexes ended the week higher despite AI shares being pressured earlier.

Analysts cited the tech sector’s sensitivity to higher interest rates and potential positioning ahead of the SpaceX IPO as the selloff’s primary drivers.

Chip stocks moved higher in premarket trading. Micron soared 7.4% after multiple brokerages raised its price target, while Nvidia was up 2%, Intel added 2.7% and Marvell Technology rose 4.6%.

In other movers, Paramount Skydance’s shares gained 3.8% after the US justice department cleared the company’s acquisition of Warner Bros.