US Stock Futures Climb as AI Rally Resumes, Oil Slides on Middle East Optimism

US equity futures rose on September 21, 2026, as a rebound in AI-linked shares and a 2% drop in crude oil to an 11-day low lifted sentiment amid signs of progress in Middle East talks. Dow E-minis gained 404 points (0.78%), S&P 500 E-minis added 51.25 points (0.67%) and Nasdaq 100 E-minis rose 310.75 points (1.04%) at 07:09 a.m. ET. Intel rose 5.3%, Meta climbed 2.6%, Dell advanced 2.3% and Accenture gained 6.1% after partnering with Anthropic on a $2 billion AI evaluation investment. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped below 5%, easing pressure on equities. Markets priced a 53% chance of another Federal Reserve rate hike next month, per CME FedWatch. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said there was "no ambiguity" about the need for higher rates. Bitcoin rose 4.3% to a more-than-seven-month high.