Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Edge Higher After Trump Delays Iran Strike Plans

U.S. stock futures moved higher early Friday after Donald Trump delayed potential strikes on Iranian power plants, giving markets a brief reason to steady after Thursday’s sharp selloff. The rebound was modest rather than explosive, but it was enough to put investors back into headline-watching mode as Wall Street tried to recover from one of its roughest sessions in weeks.

The setup remains fragile. Traders are balancing a softer immediate geopolitical tone against the same problem that hit stocks hard a day earlier: oil is still elevated, inflation worries have not gone away, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq is already under pressure. That makes this a rebound attempt rather than a clean all-clear signal.

Wall Street finds a pause, not a full reset

The reason futures are edging up is straightforward: Trump’s decision to delay possible attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure reduced the immediate fear of an overnight escalation. That matters because markets had already been rattled by the threat of a deeper regional conflict, especially with the Strait of Hormuz still central to the oil story.

But investors are not treating the delay as a final resolution. Instead, the market tone suggests that traders see this as a temporary easing of tension, not the end of the risk. Oil staying above $100 for Brent is still a major issue for equities because it immediately revives concerns about higher input costs, stickier inflation, and a Federal Reserve that may not be in a hurry to soften policy expectations.

That is why even a positive futures open still looks cautious. The market is trying to price in two very different paths at the same time: one where diplomacy buys time and risk assets stabilize, and another where energy prices keep doing damage even without a dramatic military escalation.

Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq start from very different positions

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) closed Thursday at 45,960.11, down 469.38 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) finished at 6,477.16, a drop of 114.74 points. The biggest pressure point was the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC), which slid to 21,408.08 after losing 521.74 points, leaving the tech-heavy index in correction territory.

That distinction matters for today’s trade. The Dow is feeling the macro shock from oil and geopolitics, but the Nasdaq is dealing with both macro pressure and a damaged near-term technical picture. A market that leans heavily on growth stocks always becomes more vulnerable when Treasury yields and energy prices rise together.

So even though all three headline indexes are being grouped together in the “stock market today” story, the Nasdaq’s risk profile is still the most fragile. If yields stay hot and oil keeps climbing, technology shares may struggle to hold any early rebound.

Oil is still driving the market narrative

The cleanest way to understand today’s setup is to look at crude. Brent around $103.51 and WTI around $96.12 keep pressure on sentiment because energy is feeding straight into inflation fears. That has made crude the market’s most important cross-asset signal this week.

When oil jumps, investors quickly start recalculating the outlook for airlines, transports, consumer spending and interest-rate expectations. It also changes the conversation around earnings, particularly for sectors that depend on lower input costs and softer financing conditions. Energy stocks can benefit, but the wider market usually becomes more selective.

That is why this story is not just about geopolitics. It is also about whether rising energy prices begin to reshape second-quarter expectations for margins, consumer demand and central-bank thinking. For investors trying to judge the next move, that may matter more than the headline itself.

What traders are watching next

For the rest of the session, the market will likely react to three things above all else. First, any new update on U.S.-Iran talks or military planning could move futures instantly. Second, the direction of BZ=F and CL=F will remain crucial. Third, traders will be watching whether the NQ contract can hold its early bounce better than the YM and ES contracts, because that would signal some appetite returning to beaten-down growth names.

Investors looking for a broader read on the market can follow live coverage from Yahoo Finance and broader market reporting from The Associated Press as the session develops.

For now, the headline is simple: Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are higher, but the move is being tested by oil, inflation anxiety and a market that is still highly sensitive to every shift in the Iran story. The early rebound is real, but so is the risk underneath it.