--- title: "U.S. Stock Market Outlook | Three Major Index Futures Decline Together as Iran Expresses Willingness to Participate in Second Round of Negotiations" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283356507.md" description: "On April 20th, the three major U.S. stock index futures all fell, with Dow futures down 0.38%, S&P 500 futures down 0.39%, and NASDAQ 100 futures down 0.39%. At the same time, major European stock indices also experienced declines. WTI crude oil rose by 5.29%, and Brent crude oil rose by 4.88%. Iran expressed its willingness to participate in the second round of negotiations. Despite the complex situation in the Middle East, market optimism towards the stock market remains, with investors focusing on the \"TACO strategy\" and AI computing power themes" datetime: "2026-04-20T12:52:24.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283356507.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283356507.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283356507.md) --- # U.S. Stock Market Outlook | Three Major Index Futures Decline Together as Iran Expresses Willingness to Participate in Second Round of Negotiations 1. On April 20th (Monday) before the US stock market opened, the three major US stock index futures all fell, with Dow futures down 0.38%, S&P 500 futures down 0.39%, and NASDAQ 100 futures down 0.39%. ![image.png](https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://img.zhitongcaijing.com/image/20260420/1776688661321724.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg) 1. As of the time of writing, the German DAX index fell 1.36%, the UK FTSE 100 index fell 0.61%, the French CAC 40 index fell 1.12%, and the European Stoxx 50 index fell 1.37%. ![image.png](https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://img.zhitongcaijing.com/image/20260420/1776688717201761.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg) 1. As of the time of writing, WTI crude oil rose 5.29%, priced at $86.96 per barrel. Brent crude oil rose 4.88%, priced at $94.79 per barrel. ![image.png](https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://img.zhitongcaijing.com/image/20260420/1776688770159615.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg) ## Market News **US media: Iran expresses willingness to participate in the second round of negotiations.** According to the Associated Press, two Pakistani officials stated on Monday that Iran has expressed its willingness to send a delegation to Islamabad this week for the second round of negotiations. They indicated a cautiously optimistic attitude regarding the ability of Iranian and US delegations to travel to Islamabad. They also noted that for security reasons, Pakistan would not disclose any details of either party's itinerary. Additionally, they called on the media not to speculate on the timing of the talks, stating that the process remains fluid. **The sudden change in US-Iran negotiations does not hinder the bull market? Wall Street shields itself from the noise of war, betting on "TACO" and AI computing power to dominate everything.** Due to the US government's maintenance of a military-level blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the seizure of a large Iranian transport ship, Iran's stance on whether to send diplomats to Pakistan for the second round of negotiations has been wavering, making the hopes for breakthroughs in efforts to end the new round of geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, including those from Pakistan, increasingly dim. Amid the unpredictable geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the starkly different geopolitical dynamics released by the US and Iran, top traders on Wall Street and ordinary retail investors seem to increasingly believe that the "TACO strategy" and "buying the dip in AI computing themes" represent the most effective risk asset allocation framework. **The Strait of Hormuz is once again in a deadlock, oil prices soar, and major companies like Tesla are set to release earnings this week. Can the market continue to "ignore the noise of war"?** After a chaotic weekend, the situation in the Middle East has become tense again after a recent cooling. At the opening on Monday, Brent crude oil rose by as much as 7.9%, nearly erasing most of last Friday's losses. The three major US stock index futures all fell. In the coming week, investors will face a flurry of earnings releases Tesla and Intel will release their earnings reports on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, leading the earnings week. The earnings reports from Alaska Airlines and United Airlines will provide insights into the impact of soaring aviation fuel prices. Meanwhile, GE Vernova's performance will serve as a barometer for the demand for AI and power generation infrastructure. The economic data schedule is relatively calm. Retail sales data released on Tuesday and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index released on Friday will be the highlights of this week's economic data releases. **Federal Reserve nominee Walsh will face Senate questioning, with his appointment still uncertain.** As the term of current Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell approaches its end, Kevin Walsh, the successor nominated by President Trump, is facing the most critical "test" of his career. Walsh is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking Committee on April 21 at 10 AM Eastern Time to face tough questioning from senators regarding his monetary policy stance and the future independence of the Federal Reserve. Despite Walsh's extensive background as a former Federal Reserve governor under the Bush administration and his favor with the White House, the complex internal dynamics within the Senate have placed this nomination in a state of extreme uncertainty, described as "limbo." **Goldman Sachs warns: S&P 500's historic high is "top-heavy," with Micron (MU.US) and ExxonMobil (XOM.US) accounting for 60% of earnings upgrades.** Goldman Sachs strategists point out that analysts' upward revisions of corporate earnings expectations are mainly concentrated in a few sectors, and this structural trend has driven the S&P 500 index to a historic high. Ben Snider noted that although the market consensus for the earnings per share of S&P 500 constituents for the next two years is 4% higher than in January, this increase has come almost entirely from the energy and information technology sectors. Since the outbreak of the Iran conflict, Micron Technology and ExxonMobil alone have contributed over 60% of the upward revision in the consensus for the S&P 500's 2026 earnings per share, while half of the constituents in the index have not seen any adjustments to their 2026 earnings expectations in recent months. **The end of AI is indeed electricity! U.S. utility companies are investing $1.4 trillion, and power stocks are entering a super bull market.** The latest forecast report shows that major U.S. utility companies plan to increase cumulative capital expenditures by approximately $1.4 trillion over the next five years to massively upgrade aging grid systems and provide robust power expansion resources for the unprecedented new construction and expansion cycle of AI data centers led by tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Reports from ERCOT and U.S. utility companies indicate that the aging U.S. grid system is completely unable to meet the massive power demands of the AI era, and that American tech giants have effectively entered an unprecedented era of "megawatt-level power grabbing" and "self-supply," which also means that the unprecedented construction frenzy of AI data centers is accelerating the most scarce power supply segment in the data center power chain towards a new round of super bull market. ## Individual Stock News **Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launch anomaly, AST SpaceMobile (ASTS.US) satellite fails to reach orbit, stock price drops 12.73% in pre-market.** AST SpaceMobile's stock price fell 12.73% in pre-market trading on Monday, following the anomaly of Blue Origin's "New Glenn" rocket owned by Bezos (New Glenn) The rocket failed to deliver the satellites manufactured by the company into the designated orbit. Blue Origin executed the third mission of the "New Glenn" rocket on Sunday and successfully achieved booster recovery for the first time, but the payload did not reach the planned orbit. Blue Origin stated in a post on the X platform that although the satellite had separated from the second stage of the "New Glenn" rocket, it entered an "abnormal orbit." Regarding this launch, AST SpaceMobile stated: "Due to the orbit being too low, the satellite will be deorbited as it cannot rely on onboard propulsion technology to maintain operation." **Trump signs executive order to accelerate PTSD therapy research: U.S. psychedelic drug sector welcomes "structural turning point," soaring across the board in pre-market.** After U.S. President Trump signed an executive order aimed at accelerating research and expanding access to overseas substances used for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychedelic-related stocks surged in pre-market trading. Among the volatile stocks, Compass Pathways (CMPS.US) rose 26%, Atai Beckley (ATAI.US) increased by 22%, Definium Therapeutics (DFTX.US) climbed 20%, and GH Research (GHRS.US) and Cybin (HELP.US) each soared 17%. **Apple (AAPL.US) AI major update? WWDC poster hides secrets! Gurman reveals: Siri will undergo a major overhaul.** According to renowned tech journalist Mark Gurman, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) invitation has long served as a subtle preview of future products, and this year's WWDC preview seems to indicate that Siri will undergo significant reforms at WWDC 2026. Gurman wrote that Apple's recent posters often hint at future features, from 5G iPhones to satellite connectivity and Apple Intelligence. He believes the new WWDC promotional graphics suggest that Apple is preparing to launch a redesigned Siri experience in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. The upgraded assistant is expected to adopt a chatbot-style interface, new visual effects, and a dedicated Siri application. **The rare earth sector sees a wave of mergers and acquisitions again! USA Rare Earth (USAR.US) spends $2.8 billion to acquire Brazil's Serra Verde.** USA Rare Earth has agreed to acquire Brazil's Serra Verde Group through a combination of cash and stock, adding another deal to a series of recent transactions in the industry. The American company announced on Monday that it will pay $300 million in cash and issue approximately 126.8 million shares to acquire Serra Verde, which owns a large rare earth mine in Brazil. According to a statement, the offer values the target company at approximately $2.8 billion. This transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter. Currently, the U.S. and its allies are racing to secure alternative supplies of rare earth elements, a market that has long been dominated by China These minerals are used to manufacture high-strength magnets used in consumer electronics, automobiles, and defense systems. **Eni S.p.A (E.US) discovers a 50 trillion cubic feet gas field offshore Indonesia, plans to start production in 2028.** The Italian oil and gas group Eni announced in a statement on Monday that it has made a significant natural gas discovery in the Ganal block offshore Indonesia. Preliminary estimates indicate that the area has 50 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and 300 million barrels of condensate. This discovery comes at a time of sharp geopolitical turmoil in the Persian Gulf, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz tightening the global energy supply chain. Eni stated in the announcement that this discovery was made by the Geliga-1 exploration well, which was drilled to a depth of approximately 5,100 meters in water depths of about 2,000 meters. The company stated that it is currently conducting relevant analyses to assess accelerated development plans. ## Important Economic Data and Event Forecast Beijing time 23:30: U.S. 6-month Treasury bond auction on April 20. ## Earnings Forecast Tuesday pre-market: GE Aerospace (GE.US), UnitedHealth (UNH.US), Halliburton (HAL.US) ### Related Stocks - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [OXY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OXY.US.md) - [.IXIC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.IXIC.US.md) - [.DJI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.DJI.US.md) - [.NDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDX.US.md) - [.NDXTMC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDXTMC.US.md) - [QQQM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QQQM.US.md) - [DIA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DIA.US.md) - [ONEQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ONEQ.US.md) - [IUSG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IUSG.US.md) - [IXC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IXC.US.md) - [IEZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IEZ.US.md) - [QQQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QQQ.US.md) - [DDM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DDM.US.md) - [BNO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BNO.US.md) - [XES.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XES.US.md) - [IUSV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IUSV.US.md) - [SPY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPY.US.md) - [VDE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VDE.US.md) - [DJD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DJD.US.md) - [OIH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OIH.US.md) - [UCO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UCO.US.md) - [CRAK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CRAK.US.md) - [VUG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VUG.US.md) - [UDOW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UDOW.US.md) - [VOO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VOO.US.md) - [IEO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IEO.US.md) - [IVV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IVV.US.md) - [IYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IYY.US.md) - [SPXL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPXL.US.md) - [MGV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MGV.US.md) - [QLD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QLD.US.md) - [XOP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XOP.US.md) - [SSO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSO.US.md) - [USO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/USO.US.md) - [MGK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MGK.US.md) - [TQQQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TQQQ.US.md) - [XLE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XLE.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Canada oil and gas profits to surge on Iran war, but firms hold off new investment](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282749331.md) - [Prediction: Wall Street's Historic Iran War Rally Is About to Receive a Much-Needed Dose of Reality](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283344266.md) - [GRAPHIC-How 50 days of the Iran war led to the loss of $50 billion worth of oil](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283243035.md) - [Iran war brings US close to net crude exporter for first time since World War Two](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282926607.md) - [ROI-The Iran war has shattered oil's price compass: Bousso](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282945555.md)