Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Sept. 16, 2026.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
U.S. equity futures were trading marginally higher early Wednesday as oil prices and bond yields eased on hopes for potential de-escalation in the war between the U.S. and Iran.
S&P 500 futures added 0.12% and Nasdaq-100 futures were up 0.14%, as of 2:50 a.m. ET. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 73 points, or 0.14%.
In Tuesday’s regular trading, the Dow fell 0.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.5%, marking its fourth positive session in a row. The tech-heavy index hit a new all-time intraday high and closed at a record. The S&P 500 finished marginally lower, but remains about 0.7% off from its all-time high.
In Asia-Pacific, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.9%, while Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 inched higher. Mainland China’s CSI 300 closed 0.6% lower. Japan’s markets were closed for a holiday.
Brett Ewing, chief market strategist at First Franklin Financial Services, told CNBC he thought the S&P 500 could hit 8,200 before the year is through.
“Our call at the beginning of the year was 8,000 on the S&P. We raised our target, believe it or not, in August to 8,200 by year-end,” he said.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. and Iranian officials met for three hours during the annual United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York. He described it as a “very good meeting.”
Earlier Tuesday in his address to the U.N., Trump said he has a “big decision” over whether to reach a deal with Tehran or “annihilate” the country.
Oil prices eased slightly, with both Brent crude oil and West Texas Intermediate slipping roughly 1% each in the session.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that the U.S. is deciding whether to prohibit exports of diesel, which reached a national average price of $6.53 per gallon, according to AAA.
“We’re examining whether it’s feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity and whether a full or partial ban would work,” Bessent said during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations.
Going into Wednesday, traders will be watching earnings results from General Mills, Paychex and H.B. Fuller.