Wall Street Futures Flat as AI Rally Pauses; Oil, Yields Stay Elevated Ahead of US-Iran Talks

Wall Street futures held near flat on September 22, 2026, as investors paused after an AI-driven rally and awaited potential US-Iran talks that could end a six-month conflict. Dow E-minis rose 0.02%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.08% and 0.06%, respectively. Brent crude traded near $100 a barrel and the 10-year Treasury yield sat at 4.9%. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US eases pressure. Traders also eye a US-China summit on September 24. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed at a record on September 21, lifted by an 11.3% jump in Meta after its Muse AI agent outpaced ChatGPT downloads. In premarket trading, Meta added 0.5%, Alphabet rose 0.8%, while Nvidia slipped 0.2% and TSMC and SK Hynix each fell over 1%. CME FedWatch showed a 57.6% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike in October.