Futures linked to the DOW JONES index fell 422 points, or 0.89%, to 46,995.10 points, while those of the S&P 500 lost 0.70%, at 6,728.30 points. NASDAQ 100 futures fell 0.68% to 24,794.30 points.
Wall Street comes from a mixed day yesterday: the DOW JONES led the falls (-0.61%), given the high presence of financial and industrial values in the index, while the Nasdaq Composite was able to close the day with a slight advance of 0.08%, supported by the behavior of technological stocks. The S&P 500 fell 0.08%.
The DOW JONES has fallen in seven of the last nine days, greatly penalized by the climate of pessimism that dominates world markets as a result of the war unleashed in the Middle East. It drops 1.34% so far in 2026 and it is already down 5.5% from its historical highs in mid-Februarywhen it closed at 50,188.14 points.
The sharp rise in oil prices The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is being too much of a burden for the marketwithout the release of reserves serving as much relief at the moment. Yesterday the International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to alleviate supply disruption caused by the ongoing conflict. In addition, Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the US will release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, although delivery of the fuel will take about 120 days.
But oil prices continue to rise, with US West Texas rising 4.19% to $90.91 per barrel. The international benchmark Brent crude oil rises 4.65% to $96.26, after early morning has managed to overcome the barrier of 100 dollars.
US President Donald Trump continues to insist that the end of the war is near since the US does not have many more targets to bomb, but investors continue to receive a trickle of news that makes them distrust this promise. During the early hours of the morning, new ships have been attacked in the Persian Gulf, authorities reported, as attacks on vessels navigating through the strategic Strait of Hormuz or its surrounding areas intensify. Iran has threatened to continue attacks, predicting that oil prices could reach $200 a barrel.
“Get ready for oil to hit $200 a barrel«Because the price of oil depends on regional security, which you have destabilized,» threatened Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for Iran’s military command, according to Reuters.
And today, US Navy not prepared to escort tankers through Strait of Hormuzhas recognized the Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. “It will happen relatively soon, but it cannot happen now,” he said in an interview with the CNBC. «We are simply not prepared. All of our military resources are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capability and the manufacturing industry that supplies it.»
On the macroeconomic agenda, today investors have learned the trade balance for January, which shows a deficit of 54.5 billion dollarsbelow the expected 66.6 billion. The Department of Commerce has published that construction of 1,487 million homes began in January. Construction permits reached 1,376 million, in line with analysts’ forecasts.
On the other hand, the Department of Labor has made public the usual initial applications for unemployment benefits, which stood at 213,000compared to a forecast of 215,000. The previous week’s figure was revised up to 214,000, compared to a previous estimate of 213,000. The four-week moving average of new claims, which is considered a more reliable indication of labor market trends as it reduces spikes in volatility, fell to 212,000.
Main values of Wall Street
In the business section, Adobe’s quarterly results will be released today, although investors will have to wait until the close of regular trading. Analysts anticipate earnings of $5.87 per share in its fiscal first quarter of 2026, on revenue of $6.275 billion.
Yesterday after the closing he presented his Bumble accounts. Its shares skyrocket 20% after putting on the table better-than-expected revenue forecasts for the first quarter, as well as better-than-expected revenue and profits for the fourth quarter.
The dating app company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $224.2 million, beating analyst estimates of $221.3 million, while Average revenue per paying user increased 7.9% to $22.20. For the first quarter, the company expects revenue of between $209 million and $213 million, compared to an analyst forecast of $210 million.
Early this Thursday, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced better-than-expected results, a weak profit forecast for next year, as the acquisition of Foot Locker continues to affect its accounts. The company expects Foot Locker to return to profit and sales growth during the year, but it is still doing the costly work of liquidating obsolete inventory and closing unproductive stores it acquired during the merger last year.
Thus, the retailer expects adjusted earnings per share for fiscal 2026 to be between $13.50 and $14.50, below the $14.67 per share expected by analysts. In its fourth quarter, ended Jan. 31, Dick’s posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.45 on revenue of $6.23 billion. The market had expected $2.87 per share in earnings and $6.07 billion in revenue.
Dollar General falls 5% after the discount store chain released disappointing full-year guidance. Dollar General expects earnings per share of between $7.10 and $7.35 per share, while analysts expected a forecast of around $7.25. The company also expects comparable store sales growth of between 2.2% and 2.7%.
In other news, Netflix will pay up to $600 million for InterPositive, the film company with artificial intelligence founded by Ben Affleckaccording to the Bloomberg agency. It will become one of the largest purchases in the history of the streaming leader, which has just lost a bid with Paramount to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.