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Update: US Equity Futures Slightly Higher Pre-Bell As US-Iran Talks Start in Switzerland

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(Updates with economic data, recent oil price movement, world markets' overview and corporate stock movements.)

US equity futures were marginally higher pre-bell Monday as traders considered the latest developments in the initial talks between the US and Iran, which target a more permanent peace deal.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.2% higher, S&P 500 futures were flat, and Nasdaq futures were 0.3% higher.

After a memorandum of agreement was signed last week between US and Iran, US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf completed the first round of high-level talks in Switzerland aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said there was "encouraging progress" made in the negotiations, with technical discussions continuing this week.

However, shipping stalled in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after Iran declared the waterway closed once again due to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, CNBC reported, citing data from maritime intelligence firm Windward. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iran should stop its proxies in Lebanon "from causing trouble." Trump added, "If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!"

FedEx (FDX) and Micron Technology (MU), among others, are scheduled to report quarterly financial results this week.

Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 2.5% at $78.06 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 1.7% lower at $74.56 per barrel.

The economic calendar is vacant on Monday.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 1.6% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.7% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 1.8% higher. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.5%, and Germany's DAX index was flat in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) shares were down 2.1% after Google DeepMind data scientist and Nobel Prize winner John Jumper said he is leaving the company to join Anthropic. SpaceX (SPCX) stock was down 3.8% after a Financial Times report that the company was assigned MSCI's lowest possible ESG rating, triple-C, ahead of its $75 billion initial public offering earlier this month. Robinhood Markets (HOOD) stocks fell 1.3% after the company said it plans to offer $2 billion worth of convertible senior notes due 2029 in a private placement.

On the winning side, AbbVie (ABBV) and Apogee Therapeutics (APGE) shares were up 1.1% and 47%, respectively, after the two companies said AbbVie has agreed to acquire Apogee Therapeutics for $135.11 per share in cash for a total equity value of $10.9 billion.

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