U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday following Tuesday’s declines. Futures of the major benchmark indices were higher.
President Donald Trump‘s ceasefire hopes were dimmed by Iran on Tuesday, the top spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, said that Washington was “negotiating with itself.”
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.34%, and the two-year bond was at 3.87%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing an 95.9% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 1.10% |
| S&P 500 | 1.04% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 1.21% |
| Russell 2000 | 1.55% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was up 1.04% at $660.00, while the QQQ advanced 1.19% to $590.9.
Stocks In Focus
Robinhood Markets
- Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) rose 3.81% in premarket on Wednesday after its board approved a $1.5 billion stock repurchase plan.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that HOOD maintains a weak price trend over the long, short, and medium terms, with a solid growth score.
Arm Holdings
- Arm Holdings Plc (NASDAQ:ARM) shares surged 10.23% following reports that the company is targeting $15 billion in annual sales from its new in-house chip.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that ARM maintains a weak trend in the long term but a strong trend in the short and medium terms, with a poor value ranking.
AAR
- AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR) was up 2.03% after reporting better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter and raising its FY2026 sales forecast.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that AIR maintains a strong price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate quality score.
Circle Internet Group
- Circle Internet Group Inc. (NYSE:CRCL) gained 3.09% after tumbling over 20% on Tuesday following the report of a new stablecoin law banning interest on such coins.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that CRCL maintains a weak trend in the short, long, and medium terms, with a solid growth score.
Novo Nordisk
- Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) was 1.17% higher as its drug UBT251, developed jointly with United Laboratories International Holdings, demonstrated significant improvements in blood sugar control and weight loss in a phase 2 trial conducted in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NVO maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid growth score.
Cues From Last Session
Energy, materials, and utilities shares posted the biggest gains on Tuesday, driving most S&P 500 sectors to a positive finish. In contrast, real estate and communication services stocks defied the broader trend and ended the session lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | -0.18% | 46,124.06 |
| S&P 500 | -0.37% | 6,556.37 |
| Nasdaq Composite | -0.84% | 21,761.90 |
| Russell 2000 | 0.45% | 2,505.44 |
Insights From Analysts
Professor Jeremy Siegel holds an optimistic view of the U.S. economy, primarily fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and efficiency. He points out that the Federal Reserve recently raised its longer-run GDP estimate.
Siegel views this as “the Fed acknowledging that productivity is improving, and I believe AI is a meaningful part of that story.” He stresses that this faster productivity growth allows the economy to remain strong without recreating the severe inflation seen in 2022.
On the stock market front, Siegel admits that recent geopolitical tensions and oil price spikes could trigger a near-term correction. However, he firmly reassures investors that “a correction is not a collapse.”
If Middle East risks ease, he expects a rapid market rebound, projecting the S&P 500 to “work back toward 6,900 to 7,000 before year-end.” Siegel recommends that investors favor “high-quality equities over long-duration bonds” and use current volatility to acquire shares in productivity-driven companies.
Ultimately, he maintains that while oil is the near-term problem, “the longer-term story is productivity”.
Upcoming Economic Data
Here’s what investors will be keeping an eye on Wednesday.
- February’s import price index and the import price index minus fuel will be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran will speak later that afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 5.87% to hover around $86.93 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 2.03% to hover around $4,565.27 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.21% lower at the 99.2300 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 0.50% higher at $71,238.02 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed higher on Wednesday as South Korea’s Kospi, India’s Nifty 50, Japan’s Nikkei 225, China’s CSI 300, Australia’s ASX 200, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng indices rose. European markets were also higher in early trade.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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