U.S. stock futures are pointing to a solidly higher open on Monday, suggesting that markets may recover part of the ground lost during last week’s downturn.
The early strength appears to be linked to a notable decline in crude oil prices, which are down about 3.2% after climbing 8.6% over the course of the previous week.
Oil prices moved lower after President Donald Trump urged other nations to help secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory. It’s the place from which they get their energy,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “And they should come and they should help us protect it.”
“Why are we maintaining the Hormuz Strait when it’s really there for China and many other countries?” he asked. “Why aren’t they doing it?”
Markets may also benefit from bargain hunting following last Friday’s sell-off, which pushed the major U.S. indexes to their lowest closing levels in more than three months.
After suffering sharp losses on Thursday, equities initially rebounded in early trading on Friday. However, that recovery faded as the session progressed, with the main averages turning negative by the close.
By the end of the day, the major indexes had extended their previous declines and finished at fresh three-month closing lows. The Nasdaq dropped 206.62 points, or 0.9%, to 22,105.36. The S&P 500 slipped 10.43 points, or 0.6%, to 6,632.19, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 119.38 points, or 0.3%, to 46,558.47.
Over the course of the week, the Dow lost 2.0%, the S&P 500 fell 1.6%, and the Nasdaq dropped 1.3%.
Market movements throughout the session were largely influenced by fluctuations in crude oil prices.
Stocks initially gained momentum as oil prices retreated, with April crude futures dropping as much as 3.9% after surging during the previous two sessions.
However, oil prices later reversed course and climbed sharply during the day, which contributed to renewed selling pressure in equities.
The volatility in energy markets came as President Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric toward Iran, referring to the regime as “deranged scumbags” that he has the “great honor” to kill.
On the economic front, a closely watched report from the Commerce Department indicated that the annual pace of consumer price growth slowed unexpectedly in January.
According to the data, the PCE price index rose 2.8% year over year in January, down from 2.9% in December. Economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, the core PCE price index, which excludes food and energy, edged up to 3.1% from 3.0% the previous month, contrary to expectations that it would remain steady.
Another report from the Commerce Department showed that U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 slowed more than previously estimated.
Among sector moves, gold mining stocks fell sharply in tandem with the price of gold, sending the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index down 5.2% to its lowest closing level in more than a month.
Steel stocks also posted notable losses, with the NYSE Arca Steel Index declining 2.7%.
Airline and software shares were also under pressure, while utilities and natural gas companies managed to record gains during the session.
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