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US futures trade lower as M.East tensions persist
United States stock futures edged lower on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEST) after the United States carried out “self-defense strikes” against Iran in response to the downing of a military helicopter a day earlier. By 10 am AEST (12 am GMT), Dow futures, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were each down 0.3%. The latest escalation in Middle East tensions came after U.S. forces launched strikes against Iran “in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter,” according to U.S. Central Command. President Donald Trump earlier said Iran had shot down the helicopter while it was patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has not directly claimed responsibility for the incident. However, the latest developments further threaten an already fragile ceasefire framework between Washington and Tehran and raise concerns over the trajectory of diplomatic efforts in the region. During regular trading on Tuesday, technology stocks led declines, with chipmakers under pressure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2%, the S&P 500 fell 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1%. The pullback extended losses from the previous week, when markets retreated after a strong rally driven by enthusiasm around
Stock Markets
Wall St mixed as tech slides, US-Iran tensions rise
Wall Street's major indexes finished mixed on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) as a renewed sell-off in technology stocks weighed on the broader market, while escalating tensions in the Middle East added to investor caution. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 86.1 points, or 0.2%, to 50,872.1. However, the S&P 500 fell 19.1 points, or 0.3%, to 7,386.7, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 250.8 points, or 1%, to close at 25,678.8. Investor sentiment deteriorated after President Donald Trump said the United States would respond after Iran reportedly shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter patrolling the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The comments raised fresh concerns about the prospects for a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict and heightened geopolitical uncertainty. Market volatility increased throughout the session, with the Cboe Volatility Index climbing to its highest level since 7 April as equities came under pressure. Technology shares led declines after briefly recovering in the previous session. The technology sector ended down 1.8%, while the semiconductor index lost 1.9%. Investors were also positioning ahead of several key events later this week, including the release of May consumer price inflation (CPI) data and
Stock Markets
US futures ease after tech-led rebound
United States equity futures traded modestly lower on Monday night (Tuesday AEST) after a rally in semiconductor stocks helped lift Wall Street during the regular session. At 10:10 am AEST (12:10 am GMT), futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were all down 0.1%. The cautious moves followed a stronger session for technology shares, with chipmakers leading gains across major indices. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.9%, recovering some of the losses recorded during last week's sharp sell-off in the sector. The Dow Jones Industrial Average underperformed, slipping 0.2% as investors rotated into growth-oriented technology names. Semiconductor stocks were among the strongest performers as traders sought bargains after concerns over elevated valuations and interest rate expectations triggered a broad technology retreat last week. Investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East as uncertainty surrounding a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel weighed on sentiment. Reports over the weekend indicated that Iran launched a missile attack. However, signs of possible de-escalation emerged later in the day as U.S. President Donald T
Stock Markets
Markets now trade Trump's ceasefire posts on first sight
Three times this year, the president has called time on a Middle East war from his phone, and three times, traders have piled into the same trade before bothering to check whether the guns actually stopped. Here is a trade that has worked three times running, which on Wall Street is about two more times than anyone has a right to expect. Each time Iran and Israel have started swinging, crude has rocketed, and equities have lurched risk-off, and each time Donald Trump has tapped out a Truth Social post promising peace, sending the whole move into reverse. It happened again on Monday in New York. Oil was grinding higher, and stock futures were sagging, with the two old foes trading missiles for the first time since April, when the president floated an immediate ceasefire for both sides. Brent had already punched close to 5% higher to US$97.52 a barrel, with Seoul's Kospi shedding 8%, before the post took the sting out of it. If that sequence rings a bell, it is because the desks have now run this playbook three times in twelve months.Three wars, one scriptThe template got written in June last year, when Trump declared a complete and total ceasefire to wrap up what he branded the 12 Day War. Asian bourses screame
Stock Markets
US markets mixed; S&P 500, Nasdaq rebound
Major United States benchmark averages ended mixed on Monday (Tuesday AEST), with the Nasdaq and semiconductor stocks leading gains as investors returned to technology names following Friday's sharp market sell-off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 80.8 points, or 0.2%, to 50,786.0. The S&P 500 rose 22.0 points, or 0.3%, to 7,405.7, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 220.2 points, or 0.9%, to 25,929.7. Investor sentiment was supported by signs of de-escalation in the Middle East after Iran and Israel indicated they had halted attacks against each other. The pause followed an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump urging both sides to "immediately stop shooting". The latest exchange marked the most direct confrontation between Iran and Israel since an April ceasefire in the conflict. Despite the improved geopolitical backdrop, stocks finished below their session highs, with the Dow ending in negative territory. Technology shares drove much of the market's advance. Apple shares fell 1.9% after giving up earlier gains despite the company unveiling a range of artificial intelligence enhancements for its Siri voice assistant. Intel surged 11.2% after The Information reported that Alphabet's Google had placed an

Stock Markets
US futures slip as Iran strike threatens M.East truce
United States stock futures traded lower on Sunday night (Monday AEST) after reports that Iran had fired missiles at Israel, raising fresh concerns about the stability of a fragile ceasefire and adding to investor caution following last week's sharp technology-led market sell-off. By 9:45 am AEST (11:45 pm GMT), futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures each slipped 0.2%. The reported missile attack has renewed concerns about escalating tensions in the Middle East and the future of the ceasefire arrangement between Washington and Tehran. The strike followed comments from Iranian Parliamentary Speaker MB Ghalibaf, who argued in a post on X that the United States' naval blockade and alleged violations of agreements relating to Lebanon constituted breaches of the ceasefire. The latest geopolitical developments come after a difficult week for U.S. equity markets, particularly technology stocks. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.4%, a day after reaching a record high. The S&P 500 declined 2.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite plunged 4.2% to 25,709.43, marking its largest one-day decline since April 2025. The losses left all three major benchmar
Stock Markets
SpaceX floats biggest IPO ever as the S&P stays shut
Wall Street is calling the largest share sale in history the moment the IPO floodgates reopen, yet the index that moves the most passive money in the world has other ideas. After the closing bell on Thursday, a syndicate of more than twenty banks will set a price on the largest equity offering ever attempted. SpaceX is selling 555.6 million shares at US$135 each to raise $75 billion, valuing the business near $1.79 trillion before it has traded a single share. The sum is roughly three times the previous record, and it would hand Elon Musk control of a second trillion-dollar listed company. The sell-side has settled on a clean story to explain the moment. "This has turned into a race to reach public markets," Wedbush Securities' Dan Ives said, casting the listing as the reopening of a market that has been largely shut for four years. With Anthropic already filed and OpenAI expected to follow, the thesis carries a certain momentum. There is a complication, and it surfaced four days before the roadshow reached its midpoint. The institution that decides where trillions of passive dollars actually move looked at SpaceX and declined to open its gate.Opening of the floodgatesAppetite has genuinely returned after a
Stock Markets
Wall St slides as strong jobs data hits tech
Major United States benchmark averages ended sharply lower on Friday (Saturday AEST), bringing its nine-week winning streak to an abrupt halt as technology stocks suffered their steepest one-day decline since April 2025 following stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data that fuelled concerns the Federal Reserve may maintain a hawkish policy stance. The sell-off was concentrated in semiconductor and technology shares, which have led the market higher in recent weeks and helped both the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 repeatedly reach record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 695.2 points, or 1.4%, to 50,866.8. The S&P 500 fell 200.6 points, or 2.6%, to 7,383.7, while the Nasdaq Composite plunged 1,121.5 points, or 4.2%, to 25,709.4. Investor sentiment weakened after the latest nonfarm payrolls report showed the U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May, significantly above expectations for 85,000. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. While the stronger labour market data reinforced confidence in the resilience of the U.S. economy, it also reduced expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates in the near term. According to the CME Group FedWatch Tool, financial markets
Stock Markets
US futures slip; focus turns to nonfarm payrolls report
United States equity futures traded modestly lower on Thursday night (Friday AEST) as investors prepared for the release of the closely watched May nonfarm payrolls report, which is expected to provide fresh insight into the health of the labour market and the outlook for interest rates. By 9:55 am AEST (11:55 pm GMT), Dow Jones futures were down 0.03%, S&P 500 futures had slipped 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures fell 0.7%. The cautious tone followed a mixed session on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.7% to a record closing high. The S&P 500 gained 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged 0.1% lower as investors rotated out of technology and semiconductor stocks and into healthcare, financial and consumer sectors. In after-hours trading, several companies moved sharply following quarterly earnings reports and updated guidance. Lululemon Athletica shares tumbled 11.1% after the athletic apparel retailer lowered its full-year earnings and revenue forecasts, citing ongoing business headwinds. Despite the weaker outlook, the company reported first-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $1.69, ahead of analyst expectations of $1.68. Revenue came in at $2.5 billion, exceeding forecasts of $2.43 billion.