U.S.-Iran tensions fuel market volatility as oil prices rise

Huo Xing Finance reports that on June 11, following the United States' further "self-defense" strikes against Iran, global risk sentiment intensified, causing U.S. stock futures to weaken in Wednesday’s after-hours trading while oil prices rose simultaneously. The S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%, the Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.6%, and the Dow Jones futures declined approximately 123 points, or 0.3%. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures rose nearly 3% to around $92 per barrel. During regular trading hours on Wednesday, U.S. equities declined across the board: the Dow Jones fell 953.33 points (-1.87%), the S&P 500 dropped 1.62%, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.98%, with semiconductor and technology stocks leading the losses. Among individual stocks, Oracle plunged more than 11% in after-hours trading after announcing plans to raise approximately $20 billion through additional equity and debt financing to expand its AI infrastructure, sparking concerns over funding pressure; this decline weighed on S&P 500 futures and technology software ETFs. Additionally, market strategists noted that some capital is shifting away from AI-themed trades toward sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, financials, and energy to hedge against the high volatility of tech stocks. Investors are also closely monitoring upcoming U.S. PPI inflation data and initial jobless claims to assess the impact of inflation and labor market trends on the Federal Reserve’s policy trajectory.