--- title: "Uncertain Persian Gulf Outlook Damps Wall Street Pre-Bell; Asia Up, Europe Off" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287209506.md" description: "Wall Street futures are down pre-bell as traders assess the likelihood of a Persian Gulf peace deal and tech valuations. S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%, while Nvidia shares remained stable post-earnings. Asian markets rose, led by Seoul's KOSPI, while European markets declined. Intuit shares dropped 14.3% after announcing significant layoffs. Key economic reports are due, including housing starts and jobless claims. Bitcoin is at $77,297, and gold is priced at $4,514 an ounce." datetime: "2026-05-21T11:09:00.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287209506.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287209506.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287209506.md) --- # Uncertain Persian Gulf Outlook Damps Wall Street Pre-Bell; Asia Up, Europe Off 07:09 AM EDT, 05/21/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Wall Street futures pointed moderately lower pre-bell Thursday as traders again weighed the odds of a Persian Gulf peace deal and pondered rich tech-sector valuations. After Wednesday's rallies, S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%, Nasdaq futures declined 0.6%, and Dow Jones futures were off 0.3%. Nvidia (NVDA) shares hardly budged in morning action after the chip colossus reported strong earnings and upbeat guidance overnight, along with boosted dividends and a stock buyback plan. West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded up 2.7% at $100.95 barrel in morning action. Asian exchanges traded mostly higher overnight, including an 8.4% rise by Seoul's KOSPI index, on lower oil prices during trading hours and tech-sector optimism. European bourses tracked lower at midday on the continent. Intuit (INTU) traded down 14.3% pre-bell after the software enterprise reported earnings late Wednesday and disclosed plans for a large reduction in payrolls. AI advancements are forcing changes in Intuit's business model. Retail titan Walmart (WMT) is slated to report earnings pre-bell. On the economic calendar is the housing starts and permits bulletin for April, the weekly jobless claims report, and the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for May, at 8:30 am ET. The flash S&P Global US purchasing managers index (PMI) for May logs at 9:45 am. The weekly EIA natural gas report posts at 10:30 am, followed by the Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for May at 11 am. Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin speaks on Thursday. In pre-market action, Bitcoin traded at $77,297, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.62%. Spot gold commanded $4,514 an ounce. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. ### Related Stocks - [NEM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NEM.US.md) - [GOLD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOLD.US.md) - [VOO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VOO.US.md) - [NVDL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDL.US.md) - [IAU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IAU.US.md) - [GDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GDX.US.md) - [NVDQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDQ.US.md) - [RING.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RING.US.md) - [GOEX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GOEX.US.md) - [GLD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/GLD.US.md) - [BTCHKD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCHKD.VAHK.md) - [BTCUSD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTCUSD.VAHK.md) - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [.IXIC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.IXIC.US.md) - [.NDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDX.US.md) - [.DJI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.DJI.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [INTU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/INTU.US.md) - [WMT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WMT.US.md) - [SPGI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPGI.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [BUZZ-Gold miner Osisko tumbles on $275 mln convertible bond sale](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287207317.md) - [Franco Nevada (TSX:FNV) Net Margin Surge Tests Bullish Earnings Quality Narrative](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286475035.md) - [Up 110% YTD, Why Nvidia’s Backing Could Keep Nokia Stock Rallying](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287094557.md) - [09:15 ETWith Gold Above $4,500 and Crews on the Ground, This Permitted Tanzanian Developer Just Closed Its Funding Stack](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287073010.md) - [Galiano Gold Q1 Earnings Call Highlights](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286620706.md)