U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday following Tuesday’s sharp rebound. Futures of the major benchmark indices were higher.
In the latest on the U.S.-Iran war, President Donald Trump said the U.S. could end its military campaign “within two or three weeks,” noting that Iran would not need to agree to any terms for the withdrawal to proceed.
Additionally, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran is open to ending hostilities, but only if it receives formal security guarantees against future attacks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is scheduled to deliver a televised Address to the Nation on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET to provide an important update on the situation with Iran.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.27%, and the two-year bond was at 3.76%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.52% |
| S&P 500 | 0.50% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.72% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.70% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was up 0.57% at $654.07, while the QQQ advanced 0.78% to $581.78.
Stocks In Focus
Nike
- Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) dropped 9.31% in premarket on Wednesday despite reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results amid a turnaround strategy.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NKE maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and long terms with a poor growth score.
RH
- RH (NYSE:RH) plunged 19.10% after reporting worse-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and issuing FY26 sales guidance below estimates.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that RH maintains a weak trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a poor value score.
nCino
- nCino Inc. (NASDAQ:NCNO) jumped 16.89% after the cloud banking software company reported a strong fourth quarter, with non-GAAP EPS beating analyst estimates by nearly 147% and unveiling a $100 million accelerated share repurchase program.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NBIS maintains a weak trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a poor value score.
Beyond Meat
- Beyond Meat Inc. (NASDAQ:BYND) dropped 10.21% after it missed estimates. Its full-year revenue of $275.5 million was lower 15.6% year-over-year.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that BYND maintains a weak price trend over the short, long, and medium terms.
AT&T
- AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) was down 0.76% as, despite signing a deal to invest about $1 billion to improve the Commerce Department’s FirstNet and deliver $1 billion in cost savings.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that T maintains a strong price trend in the short, medium, and long terms with a moderate quality score.
Cues From Last Session
Communication services, consumer discretionary, and information technology stocks led the S&P 500’s Tuesday gains, though energy and utilities sectors closed lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | 2.49% | 46,341.51 |
| S&P 500 | 2.91% | 6,528.52 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 3.83% | 21,590.63 |
| Russell 2000 | 3.41% | 2,496.37 |
Insights From Analysts
Jeremy Siegel maintains a cautious outlook for the U.S. economy and stock market, primarily due to geopolitical tensions and rising yields. He notes that while the domestic economy remains “reasonably sound” with constructive labor data, the external shock from the Strait of Hormuz has created a “risk-premium story, driven by energy, long rates, and uncertainty.”
Regarding the Federal Reserve, Siegel argues that the rise in the 10-year Treasury yield toward 4.60% means the “bond market is effectively doing the tightening for them.” Consequently, while a rate hike is unlikely, the urgency for immediate cuts has “weakened materially.”
For equities, Siegel advises short-term caution, stating, “the path of least resistance is still lower.”
He suggests a prolonged energy crisis could lead to a mid-teens drawdown for the S&P 500, though he does “not view this as the start of a full-scale U.S. bear market.”
He highlights U.S. energy resilience compared to more vulnerable foreign markets, concluding that until energy markets stabilize, investors should “remain defensive” and “expect more volatility.”
Upcoming Economic Data
Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Wednesday.
- February’s delayed U.S. retail sales and retail sales minus autos data, along with March’s ADP jobs data, will be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem will speak at 9:05 a.m., Fed governor Michael Barr will speak at 9:10 a.m., and March’s S&P final U.S. manufacturing PMI will be out by 9:45 a.m. ET.
- March’s ISM manufacturing data and January’s delayed business inventories report will both be released by 10:00 a.m. ET.
Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 2.43% to hover around $98.92 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 1.37% to hover around $4,730.22 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.50% lower at the 99.4610 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 2.73% higher at $68,706.43 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed higher on Wednesday, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Australia's ASX 200, China’s CSI 300, India’s Nifty 50, South Korea's Kospi, and Japan's Nikkei 225 indices rose. European markets were also higher in early trade.
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