Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow Jones Futures Decline Amid Reports Of Iran Initiating Contact With Trump-Trade Desk, Webull, Broadcom In Focus

U.S. stock futures fell on Thursday following Wednesday’s positive close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were lower.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East remains the primary driver of significant market volatility, as hostilities involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran have escalated throughout the region. This marks the sixth consecutive day of unrest with no clear end in sight.

However, the New York Times reports that the Iranian leadership has initiated contact with Trump to explore potential ceasefire negotiations.

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 3.11%, and the two-year bond was at 3.56%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were lower in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was down 0.099% at $684.45, while the QQQ declined 0.11% to $610.10.

Stocks In Focus

Broadcom

• Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) jumped 6.66% in premarket on Thursday after reporting better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 after the close on Wednesday.

• AVGO had a weaker price trend in the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term, with a solid quality score, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Veeva Systems

• Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) rose 11.32% after reporting an upbeat fourth-quarter financial results and issuing FY27 guidance above estimates.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that VEEV maintains a weak price trend over the medium and long terms and a strong trend in the short term, with a moderate value ranking.

Costco Wholesale

• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) fell 0.17% as analysts expect it to report earnings of $4.56 per share on revenue of $69.26 billion, after the closing bell.

• COST maintains a strong price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Webull

• Webull Corp. (NASDAQ:BULL) was down 3.13% it missed its quarterly profit targets, and CEO Anthony Denier bet on its AI assistant Vega.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that BULL maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium and long terms, with a moderate value score.

Trade Desk

• Trade Desk Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD) surged 16.85% after a Securities and Exchange Commission filing disclosed that President and CEO Jeffrey Terry Green acquired 6,398,089 Class A common shares between March 2 and 5.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that TTD maintains a weak price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor quality ranking.

Cues From Last Session

Consumer discretionary, information technology, and communication services stocks recording the biggest gains led most S&P 500 sectors to a positive close on Wednesday, though energy and consumer staples bucked the trend.

Insights From Analysts

According to BlackRock's March 2026 commentary, the firm maintains a cautiously optimistic yet tactical outlook on the U.S. economy and stock market, driven largely by “mega forces” like artificial intelligence.

Strategists expect the U.S. labor market to remain resilient, which will likely reaffirm “the Fed’s new hawkish tone” and keep interest rates on hold in the near term. While the S&P 500 recently faced its “worst month in nearly a year” due to inflation concerns and AI-related volatility, BlackRock remains overweight on U.S. equities.

They argue that “strong corporate earnings, driven in part by the AI theme,” are supported by a favorable macro backdrop and reduced policy uncertainty. However, they warn that traditional, “static strategic asset allocation no longer suffices.”

Instead, they suggest a scenario-based approach to navigate potential outcomes ranging from an “AI productivity boom” to a “higher risk premium for U.S. assets” caused by geopolitical fragmentation.

Ultimately, BlackRock favors being granular, noting that “the AI buildout keeps rolling on,” while staying alert to “sticky inflation” that may limit future rate cuts.

Upcoming Economic Data

Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Thursday.

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending Feb. 28, the fourth quarter U.S. productivity report, and January’s import price index data will all be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.
• Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman will speak at 1:15 p.m., followed by Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets

Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 2.41% to hover around $76.46 per barrel.

Gold Spot US Dollar rose 0.62% to hover around $5,173.35 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.12% higher at the 98.8850 level.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 0.91% higher at $72,514.17 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.

Asian markets closed higher on Thursday, as China’s CSI 300, Australia's ASX 200, Japan's Nikkei 225, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, South Korea's Kospi, and India’s Nifty 50 indices rose. European markets were also higher in early trade.

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