US pre-open: Futures mixed as Middle East tensions stay in focus

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were mixed ahead of the bell on Friday after Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their ceasefire by a further three weeks. As of 1300 BST, Dow Jones futures were down 0.33%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.10% and 0.89% firmer, respectively.

The Dow closed 179.71 points lower on Thursday, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreated from their recent highs.

Oil prices traded lower following Trump's ceasefire announcement, with West Texas Intermediate down 1.4% at $94.51 a barrel, while Brent crude eased 0.7% to to $104.38. He said the meeting had "gone very well" and that the US would work with Lebanon to help it protect itself from Hezbollah.

Market participants were continuing to monitor developments in the Middle East early on Friday amid a fragile truce between the US-Israel alliance and Iran, with traders looking for signs of progress toward a broader peace agreement. The conflict has increasingly centred on the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher, where both sides now claiming to have seized commercial vessels. In a separate social media post, Trump said he had instructed the US Navy to take action against any boat laying mines in the strait.

On the macro front, the University of Michigan's April consumer sentiment index will be published at 1500 BST.

In the corporate space, semiconductor manufacturer Intel surged in pre-market action after posting stronger‑than‑expected first‑quarter revenues and issuing an upbeat outlook, with the company highlighting a "fundamental" shift driven by its turnaround efforts and rising AI demand. Intel reported Q1 revenues of $13.6bn, up 7% year‑on‑year and ahead of the $12.4bn expected by analysts. For the current quarter, Intel projected revenue of $13.8bn to $14.8bn, also above market forecasts.





Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com