Stock futures fell in premarket trading on Thursday as oil prices rose to a six-month high amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3% in early trading on Thursday. S&P 500 futures were also down 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were off 0.4%. The major indexes posted respectable gains yesterday as pressure on tech stocks eased.
Shares of Walmart (WMT) fell premarket after the retail giant’s full-year profit forecast disappointed investors, overshadowing a quarter of strong sales growth. In other earnings news, Carvana (CVNA) stock tumbled after the online used car seller’s missed estimates on some key profitability metrics. Doordash (DASH) stock jumped after the food delivery service said it expects users to spend more on its platform this quarter than analysts expected, a forecast that offset otherwise weak results.
Big tech stocks were mostly lower on Thursday morning amid reports ChatGPT maker OpenAI is set to close a $100 billion funding round. The cash injection will help the unprofitable startup meet its hundreds of billions of dollars in spending commitments. Shares of Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), and Tesla (TSLA) were all down less than 1% in premarket trading. OpenAI-backer Microsoft (MSFT), the sole outlier, was up about 0.5%.
Oil prices climbed to their highest level since August as the U.S. built up its military presence in the Middle East amid tense negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were recently up nearly 2% at $66.35 a barrel. Gold prices held steady after rising above $5,000 an ounce a tensions ratcheted up yesterday. Silver was little changed at $77.85 an ounce.
The 10-year Treasury yield, which impacts interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages, was recently 4.11%, up from 4.08% at Wednesday’s close.
Bitcoin was recently trading around $66,000, well off overnight highs above $67,000. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.2% to 97.90.
February 19, 2026 09:00 AM EST
Futures Point to Lower Open for the Major Indexes
FROM 21 minutes ago
Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down about 0.3% in premarket trading on Thursday.
S&P 500 futures were also off 0.3%.
Nasdaq 100 futures contacts fell 0.4%.
