-- US equity futures were mostly unchanged pre-bell Wednesday as traders continue to be optimistic on the possibility of a US-Iran agreement being finalized soon.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.1%, S&P 500 futures were flat, while Nasdaq futures were down 0.1%.
Negotiations between the US and Iran could resume as early as this week, with the New York Post quoting President Donald Trump as saying it could happen "over the next two days."
Traders digested earnings from Bank of America (BAC) and Morgan Stanley (MS), which posted higher Q1 earnings and revenue. Progressive (PGR) also reported higher Q1 net income and net premiums earned.
Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.6% at $95.39 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.4% higher at $91.64 per barrel.
The April Empire State manufacturing index, released at 8:30 am ET, came in at 11.0, up from negative 0.2 in March and above estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a reading of 0.0.
The March import price index, released at 8:30 am ET, showed a 0.8% month-over-month increase, falling short of estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a 2.3% gain. Export prices increased 1.6%, slightly higher than expectations for a 1.5% gain.
The April US housing market index, slated for 10 am ET, is seen coming in at 37 versus 38 previously.
In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.4% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.3% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite finished flat. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.1%, and Germany's DAX index was also 0.1% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.
In equities, Bank of America shares were up 1.6%, while Morgan Stanley stock was 2.8% higher. Snap (SNAP) shares were up 7.6% after the company said it planned to cut around 16% of its global workforce, or roughly 1,000 employees.
On the losing side, Terawulf (WULF) shares were down 4.7% after the company said late Tuesday that it priced a public offering of 47.4 million shares at $19 each for gross proceeds of about $900 million. BRP (DOO) stock was 26% lower after the company overnight said it suspended its fiscal 2027 guidance following a recent amendment to US rules for tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper imports.