Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow Futures Jump As Trump Hints At Ending Iran War Even If Hormuz Remains Closed—Allbirds, Rocket Labs, Nebius In Focus

U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday following Monday’s mixed close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were higher. In the latest on the U.S.-Iran war, President Donald Trump hinted at ending the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, the Wall Street Journal reported. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called on Saudi Arabia to "eject" U.S. troops from the kingdom, following an Iranian strike on a major American air base. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the joint U.S.-Israel mission in Iran has crossed a significant threshold. The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.32%, and the two-year bond was at 3.82%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.4% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting. IndexPerformance (+/-)Dow Jones0.92%S&P 5000.89%Nasdaq 1000.70%Russell 20001.41% The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Tuesday. The SPY was up 0.86% at $637.38, while the QQQ advanced 0.80% to $562.73. Stocks In Focus Allbirds Allbirds Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) surged 19.40% in premarket on Tuesday after it announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with American Exchange Group to sell all of its intellectual property and certain assets. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that BIRD maintains a weak price trend over the medium and long terms but a strong trend in the short term. Virgin Galactic Holdings Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (NYSE:SPCE) jumped 6.45% after reporting mixed financial results for the fourth quarter after the market closed on Monday. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that SPCE maintains a weak trend in the long, short, and medium terms. Nebius Group Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) was 2.12% higher after it announced that it will be constructing a 310 MW AI Factory in Finland. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NBIS maintains a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term, with a poor value score. Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) was up 2.33% after receiving German regulatory approval for the Mynaric acquisition. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that RKLB maintains a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term. Nike Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) was up 1.19% as analysts expect it to post quarterly earnings of 28 cents per share on revenue of $11.24 billion, after the closing bell. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NKE maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and long terms with a poor growth score. Cues From Last Session Utilities, consumer staples, and financial shares led the S&P 500 higher on Monday, though industrials and tech stocks lagged to leave U.S. markets mixed as the Nasdaq shed 150 points. IndexPerformance (+/-)ValueDow Jones0.11%45,216.14S&P 500-0.39%6,343.72Nasdaq Composite-0.73%20,794.64Russell 2000-1.46%2,414.01 Insights From Analysts LPL Financial maintains a constructive long-term outlook for the U.S. stock market, primarily driven by the “resilience of corporate America” and a robust earnings backdrop. Despite a “heightened risk of some additional near-term downside” due to the ongoing Iran conflict and volatile oil prices, analysts expect 2026 to be a “good year for stocks on the back of solid economic growth.” LPL forecasts a sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the S&P 500, projecting a mid-teens increase for the first quarter. Key economic drivers include “massive artificial intelligence (AI) investment” and fiscal stimulus from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).” While technical indicators suggest market internals have weakened—with the S&P 500 trading below its 200-day moving average—LPL views the current pullback as a potential “discounted price” for future earnings. Although management guidance may turn cautious due to “disruptions to commodity supply chains,” the fundamental outlook remains bright. LPL concludes that “once a path to ending the conflict becomes clear… stocks should get a nice jolt to the upside.” Upcoming Economic Data Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Tuesday. January’s S&P Case-Shiller home price index data for 20 cities will be released by 9:00 a.m., and March’s Chicago Business Barometer (PMI) data will be out by 9:45 a.m. ET. February’s job openings and March’s consumer confidence data will be out by 10:00 a.m., Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee will speak at 12:00 p.m., Fed governor Michael Barr will speak at 3:00 p.m., and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman will speak at 5:10 p.m. ET. Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 0.28% to hover around $102.59 per barrel. Gold Spot US Dollar rose 1.34% to hover around $4,571.41 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.09% lower at the 100.4190 level. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 1.33% lower at $66,825.19 per coin, as per the last 24 hours. Asian markets closed lower on Tuesday, except Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Australia's ASX 200 indices. China’s CSI 300, India’s Nifty 50, South Korea's Kospi, and Japan's Nikkei 225 indices fell. European markets were mostly higher in early trade. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock