-- US equity futures were tracking in the red on Thursday, with no apparent signs of progress in peace talks between the US and Iran, while traders digest Tesla's (TSLA) latest financial results.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq declined 0.6% each in premarket activity, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.7%. The indexes finished Wednesday trading in the green, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hitting record highs after a two-day losing streak.
Washington and Tehran have so far failed to meet for a reported fresh round of negotiations this week, with Iran continuing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. US Vice President JD Vance called off his trip to Pakistan for the talks after Iran reportedly declined to participate.
President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran earlier in the week, though he said the naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday reportedly announced the seizure of two tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.8% to $94.60 a barrel before the open, while Brent gained 1.7% to $103.59.
"Oil prices continue to whipsaw as traders respond to a confusing and often contradictory flow of headlines, underscoring the deep mistrust between Tehran and Washington," Saxo Bank Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen said in a report on Wednesday.
Shares of Tesla (TSLA) decreased 3.3% pre-bell even though the electric vehicle manufacturer reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results. The company expects capital expenditures of more than $25 billion for 2026, resulting in negative free cash flow for the rest of the year, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said during a late Wednesday conference call, according to a FactSet transcript.
"Tesla is morphing into a physical (artificial intelligence) stalwart," Wedbush Securities said in a Thursday client note. "The path is here and it requires more (capital expenditure)."
ServiceNow (NOW) dropped 13% while International Business Machines (IBM) fell 7.1% following their latest quarterly results. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's (TSM) US-listed stock was down 1.4%.
American Express (AXP), Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO), Union Pacific (UNP), Honeywell International (HON), Lockheed Martin (LMT), Comcast (CMCSA), Infosys (INFY) and Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) report their earnings before the bell, among others. Intel (INTC) is scheduled to release its results after the markets close.
Thursday's economic calendar has the weekly jobless claims bulletin at 8:30 am ET, along with the Chicago Fed national activity index for March. The S&P Global's (SPGI) flash purchasing managers' index for April is out at 9:45 am, followed by the Kansas City Fed manufacturing index for the same month at 11 am.
Treasury yields were moving upwards in premarket action, with the two-year rate advancing 2.5 basis points to 3.82% and the 10-year rate adding 2.7 basis points to 4.32%.
Gold declined 1% to $4,707 per troy ounce, while bitcoin retreated 1.8% to $77,473.