United States stock futures were little changed on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) following a turbulent session on Wall Street, as investors continued to track developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict and its potential economic fallout.
By 10:55 am AEDT (11:55 pm GMT), futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were each down 0.2%.
The muted moves came after major benchmarks closed firmly in negative territory, though well above their intraday lows. The Dow shed roughly 0.8%, S&P 500 fell about 0.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite finished down 1%.
Investors spent much of the session assessing how surging oil prices might feed into inflation and influence future monetary policy decisions.
President Donald Trump said the United States would provide risk insurance for maritime trade moving through the Persian Gulf in a bid to restore tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The vital shipping route — which handles a significant share of global crude flows — had effectively stalled after a commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to set fire to vessels attempting to pass.
Looking ahead, traders will focus on the upcoming ADP private payrolls report, a key gauge of labour market conditions.
Markets expect around 50,000 jobs to have been added in February, up from 22,000 in January.
On the corporate front, investors are preparing for quarterly earnings from Abercrombie & Fitch, Broadcom and Okta.
