U.S. equity futures rose on Thursday as market participants reacted to another round of U.S. strikes against Iran, following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the ceasefire between the two nations had ended.
At 4:14 p.m. (Bangkok Time), S&P 500 futures gained 0.21%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced by 0.08%, and Nasdaq 100 futures increased 0.62%.
In Wednesday’s regular session, the Dow Jones closed lower by 1.09%, or 576.76 points, with the S&P 500 down 0.28%. Both indices came under pressure from a surge in oil prices. The Nasdaq Composite bucked the trend, rising 0.2% amid gains in Nvidia and semiconductor stocks.
On Wednesday evening, the U.S. military stated on social media that it had initiated further operations against Iran to weaken Tehran’s capability to impede maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, President Trump indicated he might end efforts to negotiate an agreement with Tehran, declaring the ceasefire “over” after renewed hostilities in the Middle East.
The fresh military actions follow U.S. strikes conducted on Tuesday, which the Pentagon described as retaliation against Iranian interference with ships traversing the key waterway.
Investors on Thursday awaited U.S. initial jobless claims data due at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time), as well as existing home sales figures set for 10 a.m. PepsiCo’s quarterly results are scheduled to be released before the opening bell.
Attention also remained on the semiconductor sector following a June sell-off tied to AI-related stocks. The upcoming Nasdaq debut of SK Hynix on Friday is expected to provide further signals for the chip industry.
