Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open lower on Thursday, after there are no immediate sign of ending of the conflict in the Middle East. Oil prices continue to surge amid the continued closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz. Gold was subdued at $4,721 an ounce, as the dollar held firm. Brent crude futures climbed above $103 a barrel.
As of 7.30 am ET, the Dow futures were declining 375.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were sliding 36.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were down 132.75 points.
The U.S. major averages finished higher. The Nasdaq surged 397.60 points or 1.6 percent to 24,657.57 and the S&P 500 jumped 73.89 points or 1.1 percent to 7,137.90.
On the economic front, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index for March will be released at 8.30 am ET. In the prior month, the Index was down 0.11.
The PMI Composite Flash for April will be issued at 9.45 am ET. The consensus is for an increase of 50.5, while it was up 50.3.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Natural Gas Report for the week will be published at 10.30 am ET. In the prior week, the gas stock was 59 bcf.
Two-year Floating Rate Note or FRN auction will be held at 11.00 am ET.
The Labor Department's Jobless Claims for the week will be revealed at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is 210K, while it was up 207K in the prior week.
Two-year, 5-fear and 7-year Treasury Note auction will be held at 11.00 am ET.
Asian stocks retreated on Thursday. China's Shanghai Composite index dipped 0.32 percent to 4,093.25 after a choppy session. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.95 percent to 25,915.20.
Japanese markets ended notably lower. The Nikkei average ended 0.75 percent lower at 59,140.23. The broader Topix index fell 0.76 percent to 3,716.38.
Australian stocks ended lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.57 percent to 8,793.40 while the broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.55 percent lower at 9,024.20.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.