Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Slip As Iran Tensions Rattle Markets Again: Why MU, TSLA, BATL, SKHYV, MSFT, TSM, SLS Are In Focus

• Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran pushed oil prices higher.
• Investors will be monitoring Middle East tensions, rising oil prices, Fed commentary, and earnings from roughly 10% of the S&P 500 this week. 
• Semiconductor stocks weakened in premarket trading despite TSMC posting stronger-than-expected quarterly results 

U.S. stock futures traded lower as escalating military skirmishes between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend spooked global markets. The geopolitical jitters in the Middle East, marked by fresh U.S. airstrikes following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, overshadowed the kickoff of a corporate earnings season and high-stakes economic data releases later this week. 

As of 4:00 a.m. ET, Nasdaq futures fell 1.2%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.4%, and Dow futures and Russell 2000 futures were down 0.1%. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, was ‘bullish’, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, was ‘neutral’.

Later this week, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivers his first congressional testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, dropping on the same morning as the official June Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. Q2 earnings also kick off with prints from JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup.

Trending Stocks To Watch

SK Hynix Inc ADR (SKHYV) plummeted over 15% on the Korea Exchange on Monday following its strong Nasdaq debut.

Oil stocks in focus (USO, BATL, TPET, XOM, CVX): Fresh U.S.-Iran airstrikes and a contested closure of the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices near $80 a barrel. 

Micron (MU), SanDisk (SNDK): The memory-chip makers fell 6% in early premarket trading after SK Hynix tumbled in Seoul despite its strong Nasdaq debut. Profit-taking and fears of supply-chain vulnerabilities weighed on sentiment, despite TSMC's quarterly report. 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSM) posted blockbuster quarterly numbers. Shares of Nvidia (NVDA), Intel (INTC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) & Broadcom (AVGO) also remained under pressure. 

Microsoft (MSFT) attracted defensive buying interest, with several retail traders describing the software giant as one of the market's "safest earnings plays" 

Tesla (TSLA) fell after reports suggested the EV maker is preparing a new high-performance Model Y for China as it looks to defend market share against BYD and other domestic competitors.

Sellas Life Sciences (SLS): Held firm in early premarket trade on heavy retail speculation that it is a prime buyout target for Merck as its Phase 3 AML trial nears final analysis.

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS): Plagued by its worst week in two months, the stock remains volatile as it pivots toward a new peptides campaign ahead of an important FDA meeting.

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS): Fell over 1% in early premarket trade despite securing a new gateway operating license in New Zealand.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) & Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD): Reports suggest that Paramount is considering an operational exit from California to mitigate mounting state antitrust pressure against its merger.

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included DraftKings Inc (DKNG), CrowdStrike (CRWD), Oracle Corp (ORCL) and Novavax Inc (NVAX).

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, investors will be tracking the release of the U.S. Treasury Statement and Federal Reserve speeches from Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller 

No major earnings are scheduled for Monday. Apart from the big bank earnings this week, investors will also be watching for quarterly reports from Johnson & Johnson, ASML, Netflix, UnitedHealth, GE Aerospace and United Airlines. 

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