U.S. stock futures climbed Tuesday as oil prices pulled back and Iran signaled it may send a negotiating team to Pakistan for talks with the U.S., with a cease-fire between the two countries set to expire Wednesday evening.
Among the major contracts, those tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were up half a percentage point apiece, while Dow futures advanced 333 points, equivalent to a 0.7% gain. Oil retreated, with WTI crude dropping 0.4% to just over $89 a barrel and Brent crude off 0.5% to just above $95.
The moves follow a down day for equities Monday, when the Nasdaq Composite snapped a 13-day winning streak — its longest since 1992, according to The Wall Street Journal — as tensions over the Iran conflict rose again over the weekend.
The cease-fire situation remains fluid. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday that Iran “Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!” The Journal reported that Trump is not inclined to extend the cease-fire past Wednesday evening, though talks appear to be on track.
First-quarter earnings from UnitedHealth beat analyst forecasts, sending the health insurer’s shares up more than 7% and prompting the company to lift its full-year profit guidance.
Investors will also watch Washington on Tuesday, where the Senate Banking Committee holds a confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve. Warsh’s prepared remarks, released before the hearing, called for the central bank to keep politics at arm’s length while concentrating on its core responsibilities.
“The Fed must stay in its lane,” Warsh said in the statement. “Fed independence is placed at greatest risk when it strays into fiscal and social policies where it has neither authority nor expertise.”
Retail sales data for March is also due Tuesday morning, according to MarketWatch.
Overseas, equities broadly gained ground. South Korea’s Kospi finished at an all-time high, a move The Wall Street Journal linked in part to renewed appetite for AI-related assets after Amazon disclosed plans to pour up to $25 billion more into Anthropic.
