{"id":70712,"date":"2026-03-06T13:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/03\/06\/lower-futures-rising-oil-prices-point-to-weak-open-on-wall-street\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T13:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:08:15","slug":"lower-futures-rising-oil-prices-point-to-weak-open-on-wall-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/03\/06\/lower-futures-rising-oil-prices-point-to-weak-open-on-wall-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Lower Futures, Rising Oil Prices Point To Weak Open On Wall Street"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Notably lower futures and lingering concerns about the impact of the Middle East war point to a weak start for stocks on Wall Street on Friday. Rising crude oil futures may weigh as well on sentiment.<\/p>\n

The Middle East war unleashed by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran swelled outwards to Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Azerbaijan, has raised concerns about the outlook for trade, prices and investment.<\/p>\n

The United States has given India a waiver to buy Russian oil for 30 days as the Middle East conflict impacts global energy supply.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration is considering emergency measures, including state insurance guarantees for tankers and naval escort to counter rising energy prices.<\/p>\n

Also, the White House is reportedly discussing the possibility of a large-scale release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in coordination with IEA partners.<\/p>\n

The Dow futures are down 0.6%, the S&P futures are lower by 0.66% and the Nasdaq futures are drifting down 0.89%.<\/p>\n

The focus will be on U.S. non-farm payroll data for the month of February. The data from the Labor Department is due at 8:30 AM ET.<\/p>\n

Stocks closed weak on Thursday, with the Dow slumping to its lowest closing level over two months.<\/p>\n

The Dow tumbled 784.67 points or 1.6% to 47,954.74, the S&P 500 slid 38.79 points or 0.6% to 6,830.71 and the Nasdaq fell 58.50 points or 0.3% to 22,748.99.<\/p>\n

In overseas trading, Asian markets<\/span> ended mixed on Friday after Beijing’s strategic commitment to deepen tech investment. After announcing a conservative 2026 GDP growth target of 4.5-5%, China pledged substantial investment in high-tech sectors, benefiting artificial intelligence, chipmakers, and biotech firms.<\/p>\n

The major European markets are down after a positive start. The U.K.’s FTSE, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 are down 0.7%, 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively. The pan European Stoxx 600 is down nearly 1%.<\/p>\n

In commodities trading, West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures are up $5.49 or 6.78% at $86.50 a barrel. Gold futures are rising $21.00 or 0.43% at $5,099.70 an ounce. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n