Stock Market News Today, 3/16/26 – U.S. Stock Futures Climb after S&P’s Weekly Losing Streak

U.S. stock futures rose early Monday after the three major indexes posted losses for the week amid escalating Iran tensions. Oil prices hovered above $100 per barrel as Iran continued to exert pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.

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Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the S&P 500 (SPX), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) were up 0.52%, 0.41%, and 0.20%, respectively, at 5:32 a.m. EST on March 16.

The gains followed a tough week for stocks. The S&P 500 declined for the third straight week, closing Friday at its lowest point this year. For the week, it dropped 1.6%, the Dow shed about 2%, and the Nasdaq fell 1.3%.

Oil prices surged last week as war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude closed above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022. At the time of writing, the price of the global oil benchmark Brent (CM:BZ) was up about 1.6% at $105.72 a barrel. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CM:CL) rose 1% to $100.27 per barrel.

Tensions in the region remain high. President Trump warned the U.S. could strike Iran’s oil facilities if it keeps blocking the Strait of Hormuz. In an NBC interview, he said Iran wants a deal but he is not ready. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. will soon announce countries that will escort ships through the strait.

No key economic reports are due today. On the earnings front, notable companies reporting include Dollar Tree DLTR -3.80% ▼ and Semtech SMTC +1.73% ▲ . Investors will also eye Nvidia NVDA -1.58% ▼ as its annual GTC conference kicks off today. The Federal Reserve will hold its next policy meeting this week, but markets expect no change in interest rates.

Notably, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was down, floating near 4.27%. Additionally, the Spot Gold U.S. dollar price traded around $4,987 per ounce on Monday.

Elsewhere, European indexes opened lower today amid soaring oil prices and uncertainty surrounding the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Asia-Pacific Markets Trade Mixed

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on March 16 as continued Iran tensions dented global investor sentiment.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.45%. In China, the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.26%, while the Shenzhen Component fell 0.44%. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei declined 0.13%, with the Topix losing 0.50%.

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