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* Dow, S&P, Nasdaq, futures nearly flat
May 7 (Reuters) - S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures hovered
near all-time highs on Thursday as oil prices retreated further
on hopes of a U.S.-Iran peace deal that could potentially
normalize crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States and Iran are edging toward a limited,
temporary agreement to halt their war, sources and officials
said, with hopes that a deal could lead to the reopening of the
Strait, lifting global stocks to record peaks while oil prices
fall deeper below $100 a barrel.
Tehran is now expected to respond to the peace proposals.
At 6:05 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis fell 11 points, or
0.02%, S&P 500 E-minis rose 2 points, or 0.03%, and
Nasdaq 100 E-minis lost 3.25 points, or 0.01%.
A relentless rally in technology and AI names has also
played a big role in pushing U.S. stocks to fresh highs as
investors cheered a strong earnings season and upbeat economic
data.
U.S. private payrolls rose by 109,000 jobs in April, their
largest increase in 15 months, data on Wednesday showed,
pointing to continued labor market stability despite elevated
global tensions.
Weekly jobless claims numbers are due at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Investors are awaiting the more comprehensive nonfarm payrolls
report on Friday, with jobs seen increasing by 62,000 in April
after rebounding 178,000 in March, according to a Reuters poll
of economists.
Traders continued to bet the U.S. Federal Reserve will hold
interest rates through the end of the year due to signs of a
resilient labor market and elevated energy prices. That is a
stark shift from several rate cuts investors priced in before
the war.
Fed presidents Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis and Beth Hammack
of Cleveland as well as New York head John Williams - all voting
members of the interest rate-setting committee this year - are
scheduled to speak later in the day.
Among early movers, Snap tumbled 10% in premarket
trading after the Snapchat parent said its first-quarter
advertising revenue was impacted by the conflict in the Middle
East and slowing growth in North America.
Whirlpool slumped 16.6% after the home appliance
maker missed analysts' estimates for first-quarter sales and
suspended its dividend.
U.S.-listed shares of Arm Holdings, which licenses
technology to semiconductor designers, dropped 7.3% despite
forecasting first-quarter revenue above Wall Street
expectations. Its shares have surged about 117% so far this
year.