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Easing Bond Yields Lift US Equity Futures Pre-Bell Amid Ongoing Middle East Peace Talks

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US equity futures were higher pre-bell Friday as traders mulled easing bond yields and monitored developments in the Middle East peace negotiations.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.6% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.4% higher.

Treasury yields declined after a spike earlier in the week. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note fell more than 2 basis points to 4.56%.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran to discuss proposals aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict, according to Iranian media reports. US and Iran are still in disagreement over the issue of uranium enrichment and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Traders noted the latest round of earnings, with BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) posting lower fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings on higher revenue.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1% at $103.58 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.3% higher at $96.64 per barrel.

The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for May, scheduled at 10 am ET, is expected to show consumer sentiment index coming in at 48.2, unchanged from the preliminary reading, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller is slated to speak on Friday.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 2.7% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.9% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.9% higher. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.3%, and Germany's DAX index was 1.1% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Workday (WDAY) shares rose 6.3% after the company's fiscal Q1 results surpassed market expectations. Dell Technologies (DELL) stock was up 4.4% after Wells Fargo raised its price target to $270 from $180. Nokia (NOK) shares were up 3.2% after the company said it launched an AI networking innovation lab in California.

On the losing side, UBS (UBS) stock was down 0.9% after the company said it expects the voluntary review of historic World War II operations at Credit Suisse to conclude by the end of the year. NetEase (NTES) shares fell 2.6% after the company posted lower Q1 non-GAAP earnings. Copart (CPRT) stock was down 2.5% despite posting higher fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue.

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US Equity Indexes Off Session Highs as Iran Examines Peace Deal, Trump Firm No-Nuclear for Tehran

US equity indexes were off session highs as President Donald Trump appeared open to giving Iran time to review Washington's latest peace proposal while reportedly remaining firm on preventing Tehran from ever going nuclear.The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6% to 50,285.66, with the S&P 500 up 0.2% to 7,445.72 and the Nasdaq Composite higher by less than 0.1% to 26,293.10 on Thursday. After the open, all three indexes traded lower. The gauges, however, clawed back losses and traded higher after midday, before giving up some of the gains in the final leg.All sectors except consumer staples, energy, and industrials rose. Utilities led the gainers.The Islamic Republic is "reviewing" the views of the American side, CNBC cited Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying in a report from the state-run Nour News on Thursday. The latest US peace offer partly bridged the gap between warring sides, but disagreements remain, Bloomberg reported. Trump is prepared to wait a few more days to "get the right answers" from Tehran, CNBC reported.Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered enriched uranium to remain in the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two senior sources from the country. However, Tehran will "downblend" the nuclear material itself, an Iranian official on Thursday told Al Jazeera, which also reported that Trump has vowed to seize the nuclear material."We will get it. We don't need it, we don't want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it," Reuters cited Trump as telling reporters at the White House on Thursday.Further, Iran is also discussing with Oman ways to set up a permanent toll system to formalize its control of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported Thursday. "Iran and Oman must mobilize all their resources both to provide security services and to manage navigation, in the most appropriate manner," the Iranian ambassador to France, Mohammad Amin-Nejad, told Bloomberg on Wednesday.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell 0.9% to $97.39, and Brent crude futures declined 0.9% to $104.12.US Treasury yields were mixed, with the 10-year leaning slightly lower at 4.57%. The two-year yield rose 3.4 basis points to 4.07%.Late Wednesday, a majority of Federal Open Market Committee participants appeared to be leaning away from rate cuts for now and were open to the possibility of rate increases, minutes of the April 28-29 meeting showed.In economic news Thursday, US initial jobless claims fell to 209,000 in the week ended May 16 from an upwardly revised 212,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 210,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.The May flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global rose to 55.3, a 48-month high, from 54.5 in April, compared with the 53.8 anticipated in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.April housing starts fell 2.8% from the previous month to a 1.465 million annual rate, compared with expectations compiled by Bloomberg for a 1.410 million rate. Building permits jumped 5.8% to a 1.442 million rate in April, above the 1.384 million rate expected and following a decrease to a 1.363 million rate in March.In company news, Nvidia (NVDA) reported overnight stronger-than-expected fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue. The chipmaker also unveiled an additional $80 billion share repurchase authorization and raised its quarterly dividend.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$NVDA
Asia Markets

US Equity Indexes Advance as Iran Reviews Washington's Peace Proposal

US equity indexes rose as President Donald Trump appeared open to giving Iran time to review Washington's latest proposal to agree on a framework for a peace deal.The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 26,390.2, with the S&P 500 up 0.4% to 7,462.7 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average higher by 0.6% to 50,324.7 in Thursday's midday trading. All three indexes traded lower earlier in the session.All sectors, except energy, consumer staples, and real estate, rose. Consumer discretionary led the gainers.Iran on Thursday said it is reviewing the Trump administration's latest proposal to end the war after the US president said he was prepared to wait a few more days to "get the right answers" from Tehran, CNBC reported. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic had received the views of the American side and is "reviewing" it, CNBC cited the state-run agency Nour News.Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered enriched uranium to remain in the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two senior sources from the country. However, Tehran will "downblend" the nuclear material itself, an Iranian official told Al Jazeera.Iran is also discussing with Oman ways to set up a permanent toll system to formalize its control of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported. "Iran and Oman must mobilize all their resources both to provide security services and to manage navigation, in the most appropriate manner," the Iranian ambassador to France, Mohammad Amin-Nejad, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Paris on Wednesday.West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures jumped 2.1% to $100.34, and Brent crude futures climbed 1.4% to $106.53 as Trump has previously said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons and control Hormuz, the chokepoint to about a fifth of global crude oil flows.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year leaning slightly higher to 4.57% and the two-year rising 2.4 basis points to 4.06%, reflecting concern that crude oil prices above $100 a barrel can push up the time it takes the Federal Reserve to restore price pressures to its 2% target.Late Wednesday, a majority of Federal Open Market Committee participants appeared to be leaning away from rate cuts for now and were open to the possibility of rate increases, minutes of the April 28-29 meeting showed."Several participants highlighted that it would likely be appropriate to lower the target range for the federal funds rate once there are clear indications that disinflation is firmly back on track or if solid signs emerge of greater weakness in the labor market," the minutes said.In economic news Thursday, US initial jobless claims fell to 209,000 in the week ended May 16 from an upwardly revised 212,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 210,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.The May flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global rose to 55.3, a 48-month high, from 54.5 in April, compared with the 53.8 anticipated in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.April housing starts fell 2.8% from the previous month to a 1.465 million annual rate, compared with expectations compiled by Bloomberg for a 1.410 million rate. Building permits jumped 5.8% to a 1.442 million rate in April, above the 1.384 million rate expected and following a decrease to a 1.363 million rate in March. Homes permitted but not started decreased, so the outlook is mixed for a rebound in starts next month.In company news, Nvidia (NVDA) reported overnight stronger-than-expected fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue, beating market expectations. The chipmaker also unveiled an additional $80 billion share repurchase authorization and raised its quarterly dividend.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$NVDA
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed, US Equities Decline After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded fund IWM edged higher and IVV fell. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 0.5%.US equity indexes fell, pressured by higher crude oil and Treasury yields, amid concern that Iran's nuclear ambitions could breach President Donald Trump's red lines.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) rose 0.1% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) fell fractionally.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) was marginally down; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) lost 0.3%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) fell less than 0.1%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) gained 1.1%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was down 0.2%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) dipped 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) declined 1.2%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), climbed 1.3%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 2.1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) added 1.7%. Natural gas advanced 1.1%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 0.2%.Gold on Comex slipped 0.3% and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) shed 0.6%. Silver gained 0.1%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell fractionally.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) eased 1.4%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 1.8%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) was down 0.1%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) dipped 0.3%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was down 1.5%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) shed 0.7%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) gained 0.1%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) rose fractionally and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was up 0.1%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell marginally.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) eased 0.8%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also lower.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) dipped 0.9%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 0.3%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 1.2% higher.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH