U.S. stock index futures moved lower on Friday as market participants weighed the ramifications of an aborted peace negotiation between Washington and Tehran. Shifts in sentiment following the postponement of key talks, raising questions over the permanence of a recent ceasefire agreement.
At 4:57 p.m. (Bangkok Time), contracts tied to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 0.17% and 0.04% respectively. Meanwhile, futures linked to the Nasdaq 100 edged down 0.28% despite strong momentum in the technology sector.
Uncertainty increased after the suspension of the diplomatic negotiations aimed at addressing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The sessions, organized following a U.S.-brokered memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, came to an abrupt end as U.S. Vice President JD Vance withdrew unexpectedly.
Concurrently, Israel, excluded from the U.S.-Iran negotiations, has criticized the agreement and continued its military operations against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. This ongoing violence has further fueled uncertainty over the sustainability of the newly signed accord.
The collapse of the dialogue contributed to a mixed movement in oil prices; nevertheless, crude remained near the pre-war levels set earlier in the week. On Friday, West Texas Intermediate futures surged 0.73% to $77.16 per barrel, while Brent pared earlier gain down 0.53% to $79.43.
On Thursday, the U.S. equity market closed the shortened week with gains. Investors responded to fresh Federal Reserve commentary suggesting a potential interest rate increase within the year—a signal that spurred volatility in recent sessions.
In the regular session, the S&P 500 rose by 1.08%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.91%. The Dow finished the session higher by 0.14%.
Significant advances among technology stocks contributed notably to the overall market’s strength. Intel led sector gains, jumping 10.6% following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the company will soon manufacture chips for Apple domestically. Semiconductor peers also benefited, with Nvidia rising 3% and Micron Technology posting an 8.7% gain.
