Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, USA, September 8, 2026.Brendan McDermid | ReutersStock futures were trading nearly flat early Wednesday after a day of losses as oil prices continue to rise. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 33 points. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also changed little. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was flat while the Topix added 0.27%. South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.17% and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 1.48%. The Australian benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was flat, while mainland China’s CSI 300 rose 0.12%. Oil prices rose as rising tensions between the United States and Iran fuel concerns about further disruptions to energy supplies in the Middle East. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures for October delivery rose 1.75% to $94.66 a barrel. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, added 1.55% to $99.44 a barrel. Oil’s after-hours rally follows an intra-session crude rally that put downward pressure on the three major averages in their first session of a holiday-shortened trading week. The stock market was dark Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The Dow Jones fell 1.2% on Tuesday, marking its worst day in nearly three weeks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield briefly rose above the closely watched 4.8% level on Tuesday as rising oil prices added to concerns about inflation. The move in yields further weighed on stocks during the session. It’s “a bit of a hurdle,” Kara Murphy, chief investment officer at Kestra Investment Management, said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” “There’s a little less to focus on on the earnings front, so I think the market has shifted its attention now to the risk side.” There are no major economic data releases or corporate earnings reports scheduled for release on Wednesday. Later in the week, traders will monitor inflation readings for signs on how the Federal Reserve might change interest rates.
