US Futures Fall Further

The Dow Jones Index is losing -106 points. Losses were led by Salesforce (-1.94%), Microsoft (-1.64%) and Amazon (-1.49%). Offsetting the fall, top gainers were Verizon (1.39%), Chevron (0.83%) and Goldman Sachs (0.68%).

US stocks dropped to four-month lows on Friday as rising energy prices amid the Middle East conflict heightened stagflation fears. The Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.7%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.4% and the Dow was only slightly lower. Oil and LNG prices remained higher as attacks on energy infrastructure, recently headlined by Qatar's largest gas field and key refineries in Kuwait, was met with reports that the US is considering occupying Iran oil export infrastructure in Kharg Island. The developments added to the pro-inflationary backdrop and extended the surge in yields after a hot PPI and hawkish projections by selected FOMC members earlier this week. Supermicro sunk 25% as its CEO was charged with smuggling Nvidia chips to China. On the other hand, Fedex gained 10% on a strong guidance. Also, banks inched higher amid the likely introduction of regulation that will decrease capital mandates, especially for lower-sized lenders.

US equity futures fell to their lowest since November on Friday as high energy prices continued to drive stagflation fears. The March contracts for the three main indices, which expire today, were around 0.5% lower. Prices for energy commodities remained sharply higher as attacks on energy infrastructure, recently headlined by Qatar's largest gas field and key refineries in Kuwait, was met with reports that the US is considering occupying Iran oil export infrastructure in Kharg Island. The developments were magnified by a hot PPI this week and hawkish signals by FOMC members in their economic projections. Supermicro sunk 25% as its CEO was charged with smuggling Nvidia chips to China. On the other hand Fedex gained 10% on a strong guidance. Also, banks inched higher as regulation will likely cut their capital requirements.