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US Stock futures flat
Aug 31 2026 6:27PM
Stock futures fell on Monday after the U.S. and Iran traded fire for the first time in a month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded 169 points, or 0.3%, lower. S&P 500 futures slipped 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.2%.

On Sunday, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW that the U.S. struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island.

Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July, with Iranian state media reporting that Tehran had attacked U.S. bases in Jordan in retaliation.

Oil prices jumped after the hostilities resumed. U.S. West Texas Intermediate oil
 traded more than 3% higher at above $86 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude oil futures
 were up more than 3% at above $91 a barrel.

Heightened tensions in the Middle East have contributed to choppy trading in August, but Wall Street is currently on track for a month of broad gains, led by the tech sector.

The Dow
 is up 2.1% month-to-date, putting the index on track for its fifth consecutive monthly advance. The S&P 500
 and Nasdaq Composite
 were headed for their first one-month increases since May, up about 3% and 4%, respectively. Both the S&P 500 and Dow also reached all-time highs earlier in August.

Tech led the charge this month, with artificial intelligence-linked stocks outperforming. The S&P 500 tech sector is up nearly 6% for the month. Nvidia
 has climbed more than 8%, while Microsoft
 and Micron Technology
 advanced 10% and 13%, respectively.

To be sure, August has still been a turbulent month, as inflation fears sent Treasury yields to multi-year highs. The Treasury Department tried to stem the rout by saying it would increase debt repurchases, but yields along the long end of the curve remain elevated. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh also said Friday he’s worried about inflation, noting that, “while this summer’s [inflation] readings were better than expected, they do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved.”

“Although we doubt this was intended to foreshadow September’s tightening given his distaste for signaling, his hawkish discussion makes a 25bp September hike more likely than not. Given his inflation metrics, our baseline calls for another in December,” wrote Barclays economist Jonathan Millar in a note.

Investors will get more insight into the state of the economy this week, with the August jobs report due Friday morning. Monthly manufacturing and services sector data is also on deck.

In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.14%, while South Korea’s Kospi
 reversed losses to close 0.46% higher. Mainland China’s CSI 300 gained 0.35% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed flat. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.18% to 9,076.

European stocks were mixed on Monday, with the pan-European Stoxx 600
 trading just below the flatline and energy stocks posting gains as oil prices jumped. U.K. markets are closed for a public holiday.