US futures rise, Europe rallies, Brent below $99: what's happening in the markets

Futures on U.S. stock indices opened trading on March 25 with active growth. In Europe, shares are also actively rising in price: the Stoxx 600 index at the moment added 1.6%. Brent crude oil is holding mostly below $100 per barrel, falling below $98 in the course of trading.

- Futures for the S&P 500 broad market index were up about 0.8% on the morning of March 25 in New York.

- Futures on the blue-chip index Dow Jones Industrial Average added about 0.9%.

- Futures on the "technology" Nasdaq 100 rose the most, up nearly 1%.

- The VIX index, known as the "Wall Street Fear Index," was down 5.4% to about 25.5 points. It is holding above the psychological mark of 20 points, indicating high volatility.

- In Europe, the Stoxx 600 benchmark index added about 1.6% at the moment and rose above 588 points. Germany's DAX was up about 1.6%, France's CAC 40 was up 1.4%, and the UK's FTSE 100 was up just under 1%.

- At the time of publication of this text, Brent oil was below $99 per barrel: the price was down 5.5% compared to the previous day's closing level. American oil WTI was down by about the same amount - to $87.4 per barrel.

- Spot gold prices rose by 2% to $4563.1 per troy ounce. Silver was also gaining about 2%, rising to $72.5.

- Bitcoin's price was virtually unchanged: the largest cryptocurrency by capitalization was worth about $71,200, CoinGecko shows.

Investors in Asia, Europe and the US are following conflicting reports on the possible outcome of the US-Iran war. On March 24, US President Donald Trump said talks with the Iranian side were ongoing. According to Bloomberg and The New York Times, Washington has sent Tehran a 15-point plan to end the conflict.

"We continue to believe this is a market with one unknown - it's driven by oil," Piper Sandler senior investment strategist Michael Kantrowitz said on CNBC.

U.S. futures moved to the upside after major trading a day earlier ended with all three indices falling. Investors exhaled a bit after weeks of high volatility, but remain cautious given the ongoing attacks and Iran's statements about unwillingness to negotiate, as well as the fact that the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for oil exports from the Persian Gulf, remains effectively closed.

"There is a renewed risk on appetite this morning and that is understandable given the news, but for us that doesn't mean it's time to get in on this rally. You can directly feel the algorithms reacting to the key words 'peace', 'negotiation' and 'ceasefire'," said ABN Amro Investment Solutions Chief Investment Officer Christophe Bouchet (quoted by Bloomberg).

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor