Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Sept. 8, 2026.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Stock futures were trading nearly flat early Wednesday after a losing day as oil prices continue their ascent.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 33 points. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were also little changed.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was flat while the Topix added 0.27%. South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.17%, and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 1.48%. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was 0.2% lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was flat, while mainland China’s CSI 300 inched 0.12% higher.
Oil prices rose as escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran fuel concerns over further disruptions to Middle East energy supplies. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures for October delivery jumped 1.75% to $94.66 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude, the international benchmark, added 1.55% to $99.44 a barrel.
Oil’s after-hours rise follows an advance for crude in the session that put downward pressure on the three major averages in their first session of a holiday-shortened trading week. The stock market was dark on Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
The Dow dropped 1.2% on Tuesday, marking its worst day in almost three weeks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield briefly climbed above the closely watched 4.8% level on Tuesday as rising oil prices added to concerns about inflation. The action in yields further weighed down stocks in the session.
It’s “a little bit of a speed bump,” said Kara Murphy, investment chief at Kestra Investment Management, on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” “There’s a little bit less to focus on with the earnings front, so I think the market has sort of shifted its attention now to the risk side.”
There are no major economic data releases or corporate earnings reports slated for release on Wednesday. Later in the week, traders will monitor readings on inflation for signals on how the Federal Reserve may move interest rates.
