A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 24, 2026.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
U.S. stock futures rose Thursday night after President Donald Trump extended a deadline to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, amid ongoing negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 205 points, or about 0.4%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed roughly 0.4% each.
Those moves come after Trump said he would extend a pause to attack Iran’s energy facilities to April 6, a little over a week after the original deadline that was set to end Friday.
“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The announcement is the latest signal the Trump administration is seeking an end to the U.S.-Iran war, a conflict that has resulted in surging oil prices that’s already hurting voters at the pump and could cost Republicans their seats in the midterm elections.
A resolution to the conflict would be a boon for the stock market, which has tumbled since U.S. and Israel attacked Iran’s energy infrastructure on Feb. 28.
Uncertainty remains for investors, however, after Iran’s foreign minister reportedly told state media this week that Tehran has no intention of holding talks with the U.S., even if its leaders are reviewing an American proposal to end the war.
Those fears weighed on the stock market Thursday. The S&P 500 declined 1.74%, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 2.38%, closing in correction territory. The Dow dropped more than 460 points, or 1.01%.
“I think we’re headed lower in the medium term until we get some more certainty,” Adam Parker, founder at Trivariate Research, told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Thursday. “You got to be cautious here and not take a ton of risk in the near term.”
Stocks were headed for a mixed week. As of Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were on pace for loses, down 0.5% and 1.1%, respectively. The 30-stock Dow was the lone index set to close the week out in positive territory, up 0.8%.
Asia markets fall with South Korea’s Kospi leading losses despite extended peace talks
Asia-Pacific markets fell Friday following a volatile session on Wall Street overnight, as prospect of a peace deal in the Middle East remained murky.
South Korea led the broader declines in the region with blue-chip Kospi pulling back 3.6% and the small-cap Kosdaq down 2%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.42%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 1.6%, and the broad-based Topix slid 0.8%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.2% while mainland China’s CSI 300 tumbled 0.4%.
— Anniek Bao
Bearishness narrowed a bit but remained high in latest poll of individual investors
Pessimism toward the outlook for stock prices over the next six months slightly narrowed, to 49.8% of respondents from 52.0% last week (which was the highest since May), in the latest survey by the American Association of Individual Investors.
Still, bearish sentiment remains “unusually high and is above its historical average of 31.0% for the seventh consecutive week,” AAII said.
Bullishness that stock prices will rise over the next six months rose to 32.1% from 30.4% last week (which was the fewest since last September). Optimism was below its historical average of 37.5% for a sixth consecutive week.
Asked in a special question what they thought of last week’s move by the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged, almost two thirds of those surveyed (66.5%) said it was the right move. Only one in seven (14.2%) said the Fed should have cut rates, while 13.7% said the central bank should have raised rates. The rest were unsure or had no opinion.
— Scott Schnipper
Stocks head for mixed week
As of Thursday’s close, the major averages were on pace for a mixed week. Here is where they stand.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.84%
- The S&P 500 was down 0.45%
- The Nasdaq Composite was down 1.11%
— Sarah Min
Sen. Warren tears into Trump’s Fed Chair pick Kevin Warsh in scathing letter
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., fired off a letter to Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh, tearing into him about his track record at the central bank.
“As Fed Chair, you will be responsible for directing economy-altering policies that have serious consequences for American workers and communities,” Warren wrote in a letter obtained by CNBC prior to its public release.
“However, your track record leading up to, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis raises significant concerns about your ability to do so,” she said.
Warsh, who President Donald Trump selected to helm the central bank, previously served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011. Back then, he was chosen by President George W. Bush.
Warsh’s confirmation is up in the air after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he wouldn’t vote for any Fed nominees until a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is resolved.
Read more from CNBC’s Emily Wilkins and Dan Mangan about Warren’s letter to Warsh here.
—Darla Mercado
Stocks making the biggest moves after hours
Check out the companies making headlines in extended trading.
Newsmax — Shares of the conservative cable news network jumped 5% after posting fourth-quarter revenue and full-year sales guidance that came in stronger than expected. Quarterly revenue of $52.2 million exceeded the $44.0 million FactSet consensus estimate. It forecast revenue of $212 million to $216 million for the year ending December, more than the $206.1 million estimate.
Argan — Shares of the construction firm rallied more than 9% after reporting fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded expectations. Argan posted earnings of $3.47 on revenue of $262.1 million. Analysts polled by FactSet forecasted per-share earnings of $1.98 on revenue of $255.3 million.
Unity Software — The platform for game developers surged more than 13% after Unity Software issued preliminary first-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $130 million to $135 million, higher than previous guidance of $105 million to $110 million.
— Sarah Min
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