NEW YORK, March 10, 2026, 07:05 EDT
Stock futures in the U.S. edged higher early Tuesday, following comments from President Donald Trump on the Middle East conflict that pushed oil lower and gave a lift to travel stocks. As of 5:14 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis showed a 0.44% gain, S&P 500 e-minis matched that move, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis advanced 0.54%. American and Delta each picked up over 1% before the bell; Occidental slipped 2.5%.
This shift lands during a week when crude prices have lurched more than $30 a barrel in single sessions. Those wild swings are scrambling expectations for growth, inflation, and interest rates—with the Fed’s March 17-18 meeting looming just days away.
The late bounce on Monday didn’t offer much clarity. “Investors were looking for any opportunity to jump back into the equity markets,” said Sam Stovall at CFRA. But with fuel prices climbing, Robert Pavlik of Dakota Wealth warned the Fed might get “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” Reuters
Oil keeps swinging the market. Brent slid 6.8% to $92.21 a barrel, and U.S. crude matched the drop, losing 6.8% to $88.36 as of 1012 GMT. Trump’s comments that the war might wrap up soon sent prices tumbling. G7 finance ministers said they stand ready to take “necessary measures” if the price shock intensifies. Reuters
Hewlett Packard Enterprise raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook and predicted second-quarter revenue between $9.6 billion and $10.0 billion, topping what analysts had penciled in. CEO Antonio Neri pointed to double-digit order growth year over year across every segment. CFO Marie Myers said the company is leaning into higher-margin product orders, squaring off with Dell and Super Micro in the AI server market.
Oracle steps up next. The company will release results after the bell and kick off its earnings call at 4 p.m. CT, adding another heavyweight tech update to the mix following HPE’s numbers.
Plenty lands on the data front once the bell rings. February existing-home sales hit at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday. CPI numbers—a catchall on consumer prices—drop Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. ET. The Fed’s favored inflation read, PCE, is set for Friday, also at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The risk on the table is clear enough. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to halt all oil shipments from the region if attacks persist. Aramco boss Amin Nasser flagged “catastrophic consequences” should the Strait of Hormuz remain blocked. That narrow waterway handles close to 20% of global oil flows. Reuters
Calm wasn’t just a U.S. story. Europe’s STOXX 600 advanced 2.2%, while the MSCI Asia-Pacific index tacked on roughly 3.3%. Still, markets remain “very much headline driven,” according to City Index’s Fiona Cincotta, who warned the U.S. could whipsaw again if the mood shifts. Reuters
