US equity futures retreated Thursday amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contracts slipped 0.5% after closing at record highs in the previous session, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined 0.7%.
Energy prices extended gains as Iran’s seizure of commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf darkened prospects for a deal with the US that could revive tanker traffic from the key oil-exporting region. The renewed supply concerns tempered optimism over US growth and pushed benchmark interest rates higher.
Defensive and credit-sensitive sectors traded lower in pre-market activity. Technology shares also gave back part of their recent outperformance, as investors digested mixed earnings and guidance from high‑growth AI names. Tesla fell 3%, reflecting investor skepticism over its plans to increase spending on AI and robotics. ServiceNow dropped 15% as subscription revenue came under pressure amid the fallout from the Iran conflict. By contrast, Texas Instruments jumped 10% after issuing upbeat guidance.
American Airlines and Intel are scheduled to report quarterly results after the market close.
