Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Hover Near Peaks Amid Iran Ceasefire Talks: Why ASTS, ASML, BULL, POET Are Keeping Traders Engaged Today

• A strong tech-led rally and improving retail sentiment kept markets near record levels.
• Traders are closely watching reports of fresh ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran.
• ASML raised its 2026 sales guidance, signaling that AI-driven chip demand continues to outstrip supply.

U.S. stock futures were subdued early Wednesday as investors monitored the developments in the Middle East. With the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continuing, reports indicated that the U.S. and Iran are in talks to arrange a second round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan before the current week-long truce expires next Tuesday.

As of 4:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nasdaq, Dow, S&P 500, and Russell 2000 futures were flat. This comes after the previous session, when the S&P 500 closed within striking distance of a record high, while the Nasdaq ended higher for the 10th straight session.

Retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, has improved to ‘neutral’ from ‘beairsh’ a day ago and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, has flipped to ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’,  fueled by a massive rally in tech and quantum computing stocks.

Trending Stocks To Watch

Nvidia (NVDA): On Tuesday, CEO Jensen Huang dismissed fears that AI will destroy enterprise software. He argued that ‘agentic AI’ will act as the ‘control plane’ for the next industrial era.

ASML Holding (ASML): The Dutch giant raised its 2026 sales guidance, citing stellar demand for AI chips that is outpacing supply. Watch out for other chip stocks, including TSMC, in trade today. 

Broadcom (AVGO): Shares remain in the spotlight after Meta Platforms inked a multi-year deal with Broadcom to co-develop its ‘MTIA’ custom AI silicon through 2029. 

And in the world of finance, investors will be watching out for earnings reports from Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS). 

Webull (BULL) & Robinhood (HOOD): Shares rose over 5% in early pre-market trade after the SEC approved sweeping changes, removing the $25,000 equity requirement for day-trading margin rules.

Poet Technologies (POET): Shares extended its recovery in early pre-market trading after addressing concerns from a short-seller report. The company reiterated its plans to eliminate PFIC-related risks through U.S. redomiciling.

AST Spacemobile (ASTS): Shares are on the retail radar after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) highlighted an emerging three-way competition in satellite connectivity, particularly after Amazon's deal to acquire Globalstar. Additionally, the company has announced another postponement of its BlueBird launch, which is now scheduled for Saturday.

And watch out for solar and space-linked tickers. China is reportedly considering curbs on exports of advanced solar manufacturing equipment to the U.S. This development may affect stocks of First Solar, Tesla, and Rocket Lab, among others.

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included High Roller Technologies (ROLR), Uber Technologies (UBER), Avis Budget Group Inc (CAR) and BlackRock (BLK).

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, traders will be watching for the release of the March Import Price Index and the Empire State Manufacturing Survey this morning. Fed Vice Chair Michael Barr is also scheduled to speak later today. 

On earnings radar, watch out for quarterly reports from PNC Financial (PNC), Kinder Morgan (KMI), Maxeon (MAXN), and Hyperscale Data (GPUS), among others, today.

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