07:52 AM EDT, 04/21/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were higher pre-bell on Tuesday as recent optimism on artificial intelligence and tech buoyed investor sentiment amid the uncertainty of a second round of talks between the US and Iran.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.7% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.5% higher.

JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) boosted its year-end target for the S&P 500 index to 7,600, pointing to AI and tech-driven earnings, while Amazon ( AMZN ) said it planned to invest $5 billion in Claude AI chatbot creator Anthropic, with up to another $20 billion potentially available in the future if certain commercial milestones are met.

President Donald Trump seems positive on the new round of peace talks happening, while Iran has said they will not negotiate "under the shadow of threat." The ceasefire between the two nations ends tomorrow.

Traders took note of the latest round of earnings, with GE Aerospace (GE) and UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) reporting higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were mostly flat, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 0.2% at $95.30 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.2% higher at $87.60 per barrel.

The March retail sales report, due at 830 am ET, is forecast to show a 1.4% increase following a 0.6% gain in the previous month, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

The Senate Banking Committee hearing of Kevin Warsh for the Federal Reserve chair is scheduled at 10 am ET.