Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, August 31, 2026. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesUSA Stock futures were trading mixed early Thursday after major averages snapped a three-day losing streak sparked by rising Treasury yields amid more clashes between the United States and Iran. S&P 500 futures were trading flat. Dow futures rose 78 points, or 0.15%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.05%. Stocks closed higher in regular trading Wednesday, with the three major averages ending a three-day slide. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 300 points, or about 0.6%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite each gained 0.5%. In Asia, markets closed mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.17%. South Korea’s Kopsi rose 0.26%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.46%. China’s CSI 300 added 0.1%. On Wednesday, the 2-year Treasury yield hit 4.41%, the highest level since January 2025. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly touched 4.818%, the highest mark since November 2023. However, both ended the day far from their highs. Oil prices rose modestly that day, with West Texas Intermediate futures rising 0.9% to close just above $91 a barrel. Although investors are worried about inflation, New York Federal Reserve President John Williams told CNBC on Wednesday that he sees higher Treasury yields as a result of a strong economic outlook following record corporate earnings in the second quarter. “So I think it’s not really a question of financial conditions affecting the economy. It’s more about the economy affecting financial conditions.” Earlier in the week, stocks were falling and bond yields were rising amid renewed clashes between the United States and Iran. U.S. officials had signaled a transition from overt military action to economic sanctions ahead of the resumption of hostilities in which the United States and Iran traded attacks. “I’m having a hard time making any real sense of this,” Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC on Wednesday. “It seemed like if in recent weeks we had switched to a coercive economic approach… I thought we had come to the conclusion that further military action was not going to bear fruit.” On Thursday, traders will be watching weekly jobless claims. The main event for economic data will be released on Friday with the August payrolls report. In terms of earnings, reports from optical network operator Ciena and consumer staples giant Campbell’s will be released on Thursday morning. Zscaler, Docusign and UiPath They will report in the afternoon.
