Easing Bond Yields Lift US Equity Futures Pre-Bell Amid Ongoing Middle East Peace Talks

08:51 AM EDT, 05/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were higher pre-bell Friday as traders mulled easing bond yields and monitored developments in the Middle East peace negotiations.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.6% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.4% higher.

Treasury yields declined after a spike earlier in the week. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note fell more than 2 basis points to 4.56%.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran to discuss proposals aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict, according to Iranian media reports. US and Iran are still in disagreement over the issue of uranium enrichment and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Traders noted the latest round of earnings, with BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) posting lower fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings on higher revenue.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1% at $103.58 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.3% higher at $96.64 per barrel.

The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for May, scheduled at 10 am ET, is expected to show consumer sentiment index coming in at 48.2, unchanged from the preliminary reading, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller is slated to speak on Friday.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 2.7% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.9% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.9% higher. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.3%, and Germany's DAX index was 1.1% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Workday (WDAY) shares rose 6.3% after the company's fiscal Q1 results surpassed market expectations. Dell Technologies (DELL) stock was up 4.4% after Wells Fargo raised its price target to $270 from $180. Nokia (NOK) shares were up 3.2% after the company said it launched an AI networking innovation lab in California.

On the losing side, UBS (UBS) stock was down 0.9% after the company said it expects the voluntary review of historic World War II operations at Credit Suisse to conclude by the end of the year. NetEase (NTES) shares fell 2.6% after the company posted lower Q1 non-GAAP earnings. Copart (CPRT) stock was down 2.5% despite posting higher fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue.

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