- Oil pulled back from earlier highs after attacks on key Middle East energy infrastructure, with WTI near $96 and Brent above $108.
- War fears eased after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Retail sentiment stayed weak, with SPY ‘extremely bearish’ and QQQ, DIA ‘bearish’ on Stocktwits despite the futures rebound.
U.S. stock futures ticked higher late Thursday as cooling oil prices and fresh signals on the Strait of Hormuz offered investors a brief pause after a volatile, war-driven selloff.
As of 10.40 p.m. ET, Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.2%, while S&P 500 and Dow futures were up 0.3%.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was ‘extremely bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume, while sentiment toward the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was ‘bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume, and sentiment toward the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) was ‘bearish’ amid ‘low’ message volume.
US Market Drivers
Markets reacted to shifting geopolitical signals after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was assisting the U.S. in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and indicated Iran had lost the ability to enrich uranium and produce ballistic missiles, adding the conflict could end sooner than feared.
Oil prices, which had surged earlier on escalating attacks on energy infrastructure, pulled back in post-settle trading. West Texas Intermediate settled around $96 per barrel after easing, while Brent crude rose about 1.2% to $108.65, its highest close since July 2022.
The volatility followed Iran’s strike on a key liquefied natural gas export facility in Qatar in retaliation for earlier attacks on its South Pars gas field, disrupting supply expectations from a region that accounts for roughly a third of global oil output. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely at a standstill, adding to supply concerns.
Leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they were ready to ensure safe passage through the Strait, while the International Energy Agency outlined emergency crude stockpile releases from member nations including Japan, Canada and South Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not considering deploying ground troops and sought to downplay the oil spike, while also warning of escalation if further energy facilities are targeted. The U.S. has also explored measures including releasing strategic reserves and easing restrictions on Iranian oil supply.
In the prior session, all three major indexes closed lower but recovered from steeper intraday losses, with the Dow at one point down nearly 500 points:
| Index | Move | Close |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | -0.44% | 46,021.43 |
| S&P 500 | -0.27% | 6,606.49 |
| Nasdaq Composite | -0.28% | 22,090.69 |
Additionally, economic data on Thursday showed initial jobless claims came in lower than expected, while continuing claims increased.
Mohamed El-Erian, Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, said on X it had been a “rollercoaster day” in oil markets, with wide swings as traders struggled to price uncertainty around Middle East supply following attacks on energy infrastructure.
However, Stephanie Link, Chief Investment Strategist at Hightower Advisors, said investors who sold during major downturns missed gains of 34% after recent volatility, 78% following the 2023 banking crisis, and 198% after the 2020 pandemic selloff.
Trending Stocks To Watch On NYSE, Nasdaq
Super Micro Computer (SMCI): Shares slumped 12% in after-hours trading after U.S. prosecutors charged three individuals linked to the company in an alleged scheme to smuggle Nvidia-powered servers to China in violation of export laws.
Planet Labs (PL): The stock jumped 15% in extended trading after the satellite imagery firm reported strong Q4 results, with revenue rising 41% year-over-year to $86.8 million, driven by defense and intelligence demand.
FedEx (FDX): The stock rose 9% in after-hours trading after the company beat Q3 estimates and raised its FY26 outlook.
AXT Inc. (AXTI): Shares hit a record high on Thursday as B. Riley highlighted that one major company denied the existence of an InP bottleneck at the Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) Conference, even as it flagged some supply chain concerns.
Sellas Life Sciences (SLS): Shares edged higher in extended trading after the company reported a narrower full-year loss and stronger cash position, with investor focus on its Phase 3 AML trial nearing the final analysis trigger.
How Global Markets Are Performing Today
In broader markets, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note stood around 4.28%, while gold traded near $4,640 an ounce, on track for its worst weekly decline in six years amid reduced rate-cut expectations.
Silver hovered near $72 an ounce, while palladium and platinum also headed for weekly losses. European natural gas prices surged as much as 35%, nearing double their pre-war levels, underscoring inflation risks tied to the conflict.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.2%, with markets in Japan closed, while Australian shares declined.
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