Wall St futures steady with focus on Iran tensions, Fed meeting mins

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday evening as investors refrained from making large bets amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and awaited the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting.

S&P 500 Futures inched 0.1% higher to 7,558.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.4% to 29,511.75 points by 20:54 ET (00:54 GMT). Dow Jones Futures traded flat at 53,174.0 points.
Investor sentiment remained fragile after the United States launched fresh military strikes on Iran in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global crude supplies.

The renewed conflict pushed crude prices sharply higher, re-igniting concerns that energy-driven inflation could complicate the Federal Reserve’s policy path.

Markets are now focused on the minutes from the Fed’s June policy meeting, due on Wednesday, for fresh insight into how policymakers are balancing resilient economic activity against persistent inflation risks.

Investors will look for any discussion on whether recent economic data and geopolitical developments have altered the central bank’s thinking on the timing of future policy moves.

The major U.S. indexes finished lower on Tuesday as investors trimmed exposure to growth stocks. Technology shares came under pressure after Samsung Electronics’ earnings, despite topping expectations, failed to ease concerns over artificial intelligence-related demand and memory chip pricing, weighing on the broader semiconductor sector.
S&P 500 ended 0.5% lower, while NASDAQ Composite slipped 1.2%. Dow Jones Industrial Average settled down 0.3%.

Market participants also continued to monitor corporate earnings, with the second-quarter reporting season set to begin later this week.