US pre-open: Futures higher as yields steady, crude prices ease
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Friday 21 Aug 2026
(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the open on Friday as steadier long‑dated Treasury yields and softer crude prices helped calm markets.
As of 1215 BST, Dow Jones futures were up 0.37%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.34% and 0.62% firmer, respectively.
The Dow closed 703.84 points lower on Thursday as both oil prices and bond yields pushed higher amid renewed tensions between the US and Iran.
Futures traded higher as longer‑dated US Treasury yields were little changed on Friday, with nerves around the Treasury Department's expanded buyback programme continuing to hang over markets. The 30‑year yield, the focal point of the scheme, held near 5.24%, while the benchmark 10‑year note was steady at 4.69%.
Elsehwere, crude prices eased but remained on track for a second straight weekly gain as traders weighed Washington's threat of "crushing" economic sanctions on Iran, a move that has dampened hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough and kept attention on shipping risks through the Strait of Hormuz.
US vice‑president JD Vance said economic pressure remained Washington's "most effective tool" against Tehran, describing the standoff as a "delicate dance" in which both sides were seeking leverage. He added that Iran had faced greater strain in recent weeks and claimed that US gasoline prices, while still elevated, had fallen "substantially" as the US military worked to move more oil and gas through the Strait.
On the macro front, preliminary readings of S&P Global's August manufacturing, services and composite purchasing managers indexes will be published at 1445 BST.
No major corporate earnings were slated for release on Friday.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Email this article to a friend
or share it with one of these popular networks:
You are here: news
10 Lower Thames St,
London EC3R 6EN