FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Peace Agreement Hopes, Strong Earnings Nudge US Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell

By

-- US equity futures were marginally higher pre-bell Thursday as hopes for a finalized peace deal between US and Iran continue, on top of a strong earnings season to date.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.2% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.1% higher.

A final peace agreement would end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. The White House had said it is nearing an agreement with Iran that would end the war and establish a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations, according to an Axios report.

However, Trump said Iran's acceptance of the US proposal would be "perhaps, a big assumption," and warned that bombing would resume "at a much higher level and intensity than it was before" if an agreement was not reached. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told CNBC on Wednesday that Iran was evaluating the proposal.

Traders absorbed the most recent round of earnings, with Shell (SHEL) and McDonald's (MCD) posting higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 3% at $98.25 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 3.2% lower at $92.02 per barrel.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin, scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET, is expected to show 205,000 new unemployment claims for the week ended May 2, compared with 189,000 in the prior week, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The Q1 nonfarm productivity report is expected to show an annual gain of 0.6% after a 1.8% increase in the prior quarter. Unit labor costs are projected to rise 2.5%, compared with 4.4% previously.

The February and March construction spending reports are due at 10 am ET.

Federal Reserve Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari, Cleveland President Beth Hammack, and New York President John Williams are slated to speak on Thursday.

Related Articles

Research

Research Alert: The Carlyle Group Misses On Distributable Earnings In Q1 2026

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:CG reported mixed Q1 2026 results with total AUM growing 5% to $475B while fee-earning AUM rose only 1% to $333B. Total segment revenue declined 28% Y/Y with realized performance fees dropping sharply to $62M from $355M a year ago. We believe ALT firms like CG should never be judged on just one quarter of performance, as fee-related earnings, performance fees, fund inflows, and monetizations are asymmetrical quarter-to-quarter, and management highlighted CG's position as the #1 private equity sponsor globally by IPO proceeds since 2024, generating approximately $10B over the past two years. Management expressed strong momentum into the current year despite providing no specific 2026 guidance and an earnings miss in Q1 2026. Inflows were solid at $13.0B in Q1 and $52.5B LTM, underpinned by insurance solutions and asset-backed finance strategies in Global Credit. Deployments totaled $10.0B mostly across Global Credit, while realized proceeds of $12.2B suggest stable market conditions for exits.

$CG
Research

Research Alert: Sempra Q1 2026: Eps Meets At $1.51, Reaffirms Guidance, Asset Sales Progress

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:Sempra reported Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.51, up 4.9% and in line with consensus, while revenues of $3.655B declined 3.9% and missed estimates by 11.3% due to lower natural gas revenues at Sempra California. Strong operating performance across utility segments included Sempra Texas earnings up 17.1% to $171M and Sempra Infrastructure earnings rising 18.7% to $216M. We view positively the company's execution of its record $65B five-year capital plan targeting 11% rate base CAGR through 2030, with $3.0B deployed in Q1. Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $4.80-5.30 and 2027 guidance of $5.10-5.70, maintaining 7%-9% long-term growth targets. We expect the pending SI Partners and Ecogas transactions to close in Q2-Q3 2026, enabling debt paydown and improving credit metrics while shifting the business mix to 95% regulated utilities. In our view, Sempra remains well-positioned for sustainable earnings growth with strong infrastructure investment and balance sheet optimization initiatives.

$SRE
Sectors

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Decline Pre-Bell Thursday

Energy stocks were lower premarket Thursday, with the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) retreating by 1.6%.The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 3.5%, while The United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.6% lower.Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 4.1% at $91.20 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil fell 3.7% to $97.56 per barrel, and natural gas futures were 1% lower at $2.70 per 1 million British Thermal Units.Shell (SHEL) shares were down nearly 2% in early activity after the company reported lower-than-expected Q1 revenue.Tenaris (TS) shares were 4% lower in premarket activity after the company said its Q2 sales will be affected by lower shipments in the Middle East. Tenaris also named Gabriel Podskubka its chief executive officer.MGE Energy (MGEE) stock was down 4.4% before the opening bell after the company said late Wednesday it has launched an underwritten public offering of $250 million common shares, including about $75 million of shares to be sold directly by the company and roughly $175 million to be sold through forward sale agreements.

$MGEE$SHEL$TS$UNG$USO$XLE