Stocks Rise Pre-Bell Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict; ADP Employment Report on Deck

07:20 AM EST, 03/04/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The main US stock measures were pointing higher in Wednesday's premarket activity as traders monitor developments in the ongoing Middle East conflict and await the latest ADP Employment report.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% and the Nasdaq added 0.3% before the opening bell. The indexes finished the previous trading session lower.

The US, Israel and Iran conflict entered its fifth day on Wednesday. The US and Israel conducted military strikes across Iran over the weekend, killing Tehran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases across a number of countries in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday that the US navy is ready to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively shut the strait, a key chokepoint for crude flows, and warned that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway would be targeted, according to media reports.

Trump said he has directed the US Development Finance Corporation to provide "political risk insurance and guarantees for the financial security of all maritime trade, especially energy, traveling through the Gulf."

West Texas Intermediate crude oil inclined 0.4% to $74.83 a barrel in premarket action, while Brent gained 1.2% to $82.36. Oil prices could exceed $100 per barrel in case of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East, RBC Capital Markets said in a note e-mailed Tuesday.

Treasury yields were up before the open, with the two-year rate advancing 2.3 basis points to 3.53% and the 10-year rate climbing 2.9 basis points to 4.09%.

The ADP employment report, a gauge for private-sector job growth in the US, for February is scheduled for an 8:15 am ET release. The Challenger Job Cut report and the government's nonfarm payrolls data, both for last month, are due later in the week.

Wednesday's economic calendar also has the weekly mortgage applications bulletin at 7 am. The purchasing managers' index composite final report from S&P Global (SPGI) for February is out at 9:45 am, followed by the Institute for Supply Management's services index for the same month at 10 am.

The weekly EIA domestic petroleum inventories report posts at 10:30 am, while the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, a compilation of economic and business reports from the 12 regional Fed branches, is due at 2 pm.

New York Fed President John Williams said Tuesday that inflation is expected to begin cooling later this year, while his Kansas City counterpart, Jeffrey Schmid, said policymakers can't afford to be "complacent" amid elevated prices.

Shares of CrowdStrike (CRWD) rose 0.5% as the cybersecurity firm reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street's estimates. Ross Stores (ROST) spiked 7.4% as the discount retailer issued a fiscal 2026 outlook that was higher than the previous year's results.

Brown Forman (BF.A, BF.B), Dycom Industries (DY) , Bath & Body Works (BBWI) and Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) report their latest financial results before the bell, among others. Broadcom (AVGO) , Veeva Systems (VEEV) , Okta (OKTA) and American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) post earnings after the markets close.

Gold increased 1.6% to $5,205 per troy ounce, while bitcoin jumped 4.1% to $71,103.

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