Middle East Crisis Leads to Mixed Stock Index Futures Market

Let's start by looking at the New York stock market.

The three major U.S. stock indices closed mixed.

While the S&P 500 and Nasdaq weakened, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the session with a slight gain.

By sector, energy and consumer staples, which benefited from Middle East risks, rose more than 1% to support the market, while semiconductor stocks declined amid concerns over technological shocks from China.

The semiconductor sector led the decline.

Chinese memory chip maker CXMT announced plans to release next-generation server DRAM products within the year, raising concerns that the market position of global semiconductor companies that have enjoyed technological supremacy may be shaken.

In addition, geopolitical risks in the Middle East pressured the stock market.

As supply disruption concerns grew following the Houthi rebels' attack on Saudi Arabia, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose more than 2% to surpass the $93 per barrel mark.

Next, let's look at the U.S. futures market.

Expectations for the upcoming third-quarter earnings season are clashing with inflation concerns driven by soaring international oil prices.

The U.S. stock index futures market is currently showing mixed trends.

Dow futures are up 28 points, trading around the 52,100 level, while Nasdaq 100 futures are edging down, moving around the 30,800 level.

Also, S&P 500 futures are currently ticking up around the 7,800 level, and Russell 2000 futures, centered on small and medium-sized stocks, are trading slightly higher.

Russell 2000 futures are moving amid ongoing concerns over inflation driven by high oil prices and high borrowing costs.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury spot market was closed in observance of Columbus Day.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury futures are trading at 5.22%, and the 30-year U.S. Treasury futures are trading at 5.6%.

Looking at the commodity futures market, inflation concerns stemming from rising oil prices have strengthened the dollar, weighing on gold prices. However, safe-haven demand has offset this, with gold futures trading around $4,197 per ounce.

Concerns over crude oil supply disruptions have escalated following the Houthi rebels' attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, coupled with the raised possibility of U.S. military responses.

Consequently, crude oil futures are trading in the $93 range and declining.

Looking at the fluctuations of major U.S. stock futures by item, Microsoft announced plans to adopt its own artificial intelligence chips and closed higher in after-hours trading, but is edging down in the futures market. While selling pressure is evident across the semiconductor sector overall, only Meta futures and Alphabet are posting modest gains.

That concludes our look at the CME futures market.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.