MW U.S. stock futures slip, oil prices push higher as Iran war remains stuck in stalemate
By Mike Murphy
A ship sits anchored on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran.
U.S. stock-index futures fell and crude prices rose on Sunday, after the market's rally stalled last week as oil prices rose sharply amid the impasse in the war with Iran.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM00) fell about 100 points, or 0.2%, late Sunday, S&P 500 futures (ES00) and Nasdaq-100 futures (NQ00) slipped fractionally. West Texas Intermediate crude (CL.1) jumped nearly 2%, above $107 a barrel. Bitcoin (BTCUSD) was last trading around the $78,000 level, after falling more than 4% over the past five days.
U.S. stocks closed sharply lower Friday, with the Dow DJIA and Nasdaq COMP logging modest weekly losses. Still, the Nasdaq hit another new record high earlier last week, along with the S&P 500 SPX, which eked out gains for the seventh straight week, and is up more than 8% year to date.
Oil prices shot higher Friday as President Donald Trump ended his trip to China with no apparent breakthroughs. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery (CLM26) rose above $105 a barrel Friday, while Brent for July delivery (BRNN26) (BRN00), the global benchmark, closed above $109 a barrel, after rising 8% on the week.
While the cease-fire in the Persian Gulf appears to be largely holding, cracks are starting to appear as the impasse over the Strait of Hormuz continues. The Associated Press reported Sunday that Israel is coordinating with the U.S. over a possible resumption of airstrikes against Iran, and in a social-media post Sunday, Trump warned Iran to agree to a peace deal, or else. "The Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he said. Diplomats are reportedly continuing to work on an agreement, but the two sides still appear far apart.
Also on Sunday, a drone strike - suspected to be either Iranian or from an Iranian-backed militia - caused a fire near a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE said the reactor was not affected and the plant was operating as normal. The facility produces about a quarter of the UAE's energy, the AP reported.
The conflict has sent oil and gas prices soaring worldwide. As of Sunday, the average gallon of gas in the U.S. was $4.51, according to AAA. That has driven worries of rising inflation, as the cost of fuel trickles down to consumers through virtually every industry. Inflation rose to 3.8% in April, according to the Consumer Price Index released last week. That was the highest reading since May 2023, and far above the Fed's 2% target.
A slew of quarterly earnings reports due this week from major retailers should shed more light onto the state of consumer spending. Walmart $(WMT)$, Target (TGT), Ross Stores $(ROST)$, Home Depot $(HD)$ and Lowe's $(LOW)$, among others, are set to report. Walmart executives warned earlier this year that gas prices between $4.50 and $5 a gallon could impact retail sales.
Investors will also be eagerly awaiting quarterly earnings from Nvidia (NVDA) on Wednesday. While the chip-making giant's shares have lagged its rivals this year amid a boom in AI-related stocks, Nvidia is still the biggest single contributor to the S&P 500's earnings growth, according to Jonathan Golub, chief equity strategist at Seaport Research.
Read more: Nvidia is getting some help as it props up S&P 500 earnings growth
-Mike Murphy
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 17, 2026 18:18 ET (22:18 GMT)
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