Stocks Rise Pre-Bell as President Trump Signals Optimism on Iran Deal Prospects
The benchmark US stock measures were pointing higher before the open Friday after President Donald Trump reportedly expressed optimism over prospects for a peace deal with Iran.The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose 0.2% each in premarket activity, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4%. The indexes finished Thursday in the green, with the Nasdaq extending its winning streak to a 12th consecutive session."It's looking very good that we're going to make a deal with Iran, and it's going to be a good deal," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday, according to Bloomberg News. Talks between the US and Iran could resume on the weekend, Trump said.Treasury yields were down before the opening bell, with the two-year rate retreating 1.3 basis points to 3.77% and the 10-year rate off 1.4 basis points to 4.3%.On Thursday, Trump announced on social media that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to formally begin a 10-day ceasefire. The ceasefire seeks to pause hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, a key sticking point in peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 4.1% to $90.82 a barrel in premarket action, while Brent fell 4% to $87.54.Shares of Netflix (NFLX) slumped 9.8% pre-bell after the streaming giant's second-quarter outlook fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) edged down 0.4% after closing the previous trading session up 7.8%, while GE Aerospace (GE) rebounded 0.4% following a nearly 5% drop on Thursday.Truist Financial (TFC), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), State Street (STT), Regions Financial (RF), Ally Financial (ALLY) and Autoliv (ALV) report their latest financial results before the bell.Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly is scheduled to speak at 11:30 am ET, while Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin speaks at 12:15 pm. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller is slated to speak at 2 pm.Friday's thin economic calendar has the weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count at 1 pm.Gold nudged 0.1% higher to $4,814 per troy ounce, while bitcoin slipped 0.1% to $75,132.