Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Tuesday Amid Hopes of Long-Term US-Iran Truce
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.2% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.4% higher in Tuesday's premarket activity amid hopes of a long-term truce between Iran and the US.US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.3%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.5% before the start of regular trading.The National Federation of Independent Business said its Small Business Optimism Index fell to 95.8 in March from 98.8 in February, marking the lowest level since April 2025.US producer prices rose 0.5% in March, below expectations for a 1.1% increase and matching the prior month's gain.Core producer prices, which exclude food and energy, gained 0.1% in March, below forecasts for a 0.4% increase and slowing from a 0.3% advance in the prior month.Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee and Fed Governor Michael Barr are due to speak today.In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 1.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.5% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 4.8%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) gained 1%.Power Play:IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.3%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 0.3% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was 0.6% higher.American Airlines (AAL) stock was gaining more than 8% in premarket activity, while United Airlines (UAL) was up more than 3% before the opening bell after Reuters reported that United Chief Executive Scott Kirby proposed a potential combination with American during a late February meeting with President Donald Trump.Winners and Losers:Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) retreated 0.04%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was 1% higher, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.5%.Novo Nordisk (NVO) stock was up more than 3% premarket after the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved a new single-dose 7.2 mg of Wegovy to treat adults with obesity. The company also announced a partnership with OpenAI to deploy advanced AI across its operations.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) retreated by 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 0.6%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.6% higher.BlackRock (BLK) shares were up more than 2% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 0.6%, and the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was up 0.4%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) gained 0.5%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) advanced by 0.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 1.2% lower.Tesla's (TSLA) shares were up more than 1% pre-bell after Dutch vehicle regulator RDW said it has informed the European Commission of its intention to seek approval for Tesla's Full-Self Driving system across the European Union.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) advanced 0.7%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.6% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.8%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained 2.5% while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1.2%.Microsoft (MSFT) shares were up more than 1% in Tuesday's premarket activity. Bloomberg News reported, citing Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa, that the company's carbon removal program "has not ended."EnergyThe iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was down 0.2%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) retreated by 0.6%.BP (BP) stock was up nearly 1% before Tuesday's opening bell after the company said that it expects "exceptional" results from its oil trading business for Q1 2026, amid the spike in prices driven by the US and Israeli war against Iran.CommoditiesFront-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell by 2.6% to $96.48 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated by 1.8% to $2.58 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) declined by 0.7%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.7% lower.Gold futures for May were up by 0.6% at $4,797.10 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures rose by 3% to $77.92 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was 0.5% higher, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) advanced by 2.5%.
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