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Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Extension Nudges US Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell

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US equity futures nudged higher pre-bell Friday as Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire by three weeks in a meeting at the White House facilitated by President Donald Trump.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.1% lower, S&P 500 futures were up 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures were 1.3% lower.

Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon has been a key discussion point in negotiations to end the conflict in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to vessels, while the US maintains its blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump said he was not in a hurry to reach a peace agreement with Iran, saying he wanted to make it "everlasting." He had extended the US-Iran ceasefire, calling the Iranian government "fractured," but Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday denied Trump's claim of disunity in the country's leadership.

Traders tracked the latest round of earnings, with Procter & Gamble (PG) reporting higher fiscal Q3 financial results and HCA Healthcare (HCA) posting an increase in Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were mostly flat, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.3% at $105.39 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.1% lower at $95.73 per barrel.

The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for April, scheduled at 10 am ET, is expected to show consumer sentiment index coming in at 48.5, compared with the preliminary reading of 47.6, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 1% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.2% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3% lower. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was down 0.3%, and Germany's DAX index was 0.2% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Intel (INTC) shares rose 26% after the company reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue, as well as issued fiscal Q2 guidance, that surpassed analyst estimates. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock was 11% higher after DA Davidson upgraded the company's stock to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $375 from $220. Procter & Gamble shares were up 2.6% after the company's fiscal Q3 financial results beat analysts' consensus.

On the losing side, HCA Healthcare shares dropped 7.8% after the company reported its Q1 financial results. Comcast (CMCSA) stock was down 2.7% after the company posted lower Q1 adjusted earnings from a year ago. Infosys (INFY) shares fell 2.6% despite reporting higher fiscal Q4 earnings and revenue.

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US Equity Indexes Drop as Growth Sectors Dampen Sentiment, Hormuz Deadlock Continues

US equity indexes fell as technology and consumer discretionary stocks weighed on investor sentiment, which remains frail as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, the choke-point for about a fifth of global crude oil flows, persists.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.9% to 24,438.50, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.4% to 49,310.32, and the S&P 500 lower by 0.4% to 7,108.40 on Thursday. Utilities and industrials led the gainers.Shares of IBM (IBM) slid 8.3%, among the steepest decliners on the Dow, following Q1 results. Software growth decelerated to 8% in constant currency from 11% in Q4 and 9% in Q3, a "potential red flag for the bears," CFRA said in a note.Tesla (TSLA) slid 3.6% after the firm issued higher-than-expected 2026 capital expenditure guidance. TechCrunch reported the group is planning to spend $25 billion, compared with $8.5 billion in 2025.ServiceNow (NOW) reported strong Q1 results, but softer organic revenue trends and a slightly weaker margin outlook weighed on the overall forecast, Oppenheimer said in a note. Shares of ServiceNow sank 18%, the worst performer on the S&P 500.Texas Instruments (TXN) soared 19%, among the top outperformers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the company posted higher Q1 earnings and sales and set out Q2 guidance above consensus.In geopolitical developments, President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill" any boat that is laying mines in Hormuz, according to a Truth Social post on Thursday. On the same day, Iran flaunted its tightened grip over Hormuz with a video of commandos storming a cargo ship named MSC Francesca, Reuters reported.The United States and Iran remain at an impasse, with Tehran refusing to negotiate a peace deal as long as the US Navy continues to blockade its ports and Washington refuses to lift the siege. Trump said the pressure is on Iran to reach a deal ending the war, claiming he has "all the time in the world," CNN reported.Iran "had made the lifting of the US blockade a precondition for the resumption of negotiations," Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note. "President Trump, for his part, has indicated that the ceasefire will remain in place for now, leaving the conflict in a no airstrike, minimal movement of ships, unsustainable equilibrium."West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures jumped 3.6% to $96.51, and Brent crude futures advanced 3.7% to $105.58.In precious metals, gold futures fell 1.1% to $4,703.3, and silver futures dropped 3.5% to $75.27 as higher crude oil prices tend to raise inflation concerns. Most US Treasury yields rose, reflecting a similar dynamic in the fixed-income complex in addition to the macroeconomic data. The 10-year yield jumped 3.1 basis points to 4.33%, and the two-year rate climbed 3.8 basis points to 3.83%.In US economic news, initial jobless claims rose to 214,000 in the week ended April 18 from an upwardly revised 208,000, compared with the 210,000 print expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.Meanwhile, the April flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global improved to a 47-month high of 54.0 from 52.3 in March, compared with the 52.5 anticipated in a Bloomberg-compiled poll.

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US Equity Indexes Decline as Corporate Earnings Weigh, Hormuz Standstill Continues

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Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$IBM$NOW$TSLA$TXN$URI
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Lower as US Equities Fall After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded fund IWM and IVV were lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) eased 0.2%.US equity indexes fell in midday trading Thursday, as geopolitical risk ratcheted up in the Middle East and Tesla's (TSLA) capital expenditure guidance for this year tripled from a year ago.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each gained about 0.3%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) was down 0.7%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) each lost about 0.6%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) rose 3%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was up 2.7%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) shed 0.7%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) declined 2.8%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), climbed up 2.8%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 1.1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 1.5%. Natural gas was up 1.0%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) dropped 4.5%.Gold on Comex slipped 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) fell 0.2%. Silver declined 2.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was down 1.7%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) rose 1.6%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) gained 1.4%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) was 1.7% higher.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) dipped 0.2%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) rose 0.3%, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) fell 0.9%.Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 0.3%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) shed 0.5%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was 0.5% lower. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) dipped 1.1%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) rose 2.1%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also advanced.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.9%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) dipped 0.7%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) lost 2.8%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was down 1.1%.

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