Finance

Equity futures pinned to the major domestic benchmarks are showing little movement following a mixed and flat regular trading session. Investors are closely monitoring market directions as the Dow Jones Industrial Average faces the possibility of its fourth consecutive weekly loss, weighed down by macroeconomic pressures.

Brent crude futures are hovering near $107 a barrel as oil markets react to evolving developments in the Middle East, including contradictory reports regarding Houthi attacks and ongoing diplomatic rhetoric between the U.S. and Iran. While news of a potential phased agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz briefly tempered the rally, the broader surge in energy costs is stoking inflation anxieties on Wall Street.

Geopolitical sentiment received a modest boost following announcements that Washington and Beijing have agreed to extend their current bilateral trade truce until mid-January. The strategic extension successfully averts the implementation of steeper tariffs that were originally scheduled to take effect in November, providing a temporary sigh of relief for global supply chains.