{"id":30902,"date":"2026-03-17T16:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/uncategorized\/30902\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:00:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:00:33","slug":"us-index-futures-drift-lower-in-european-trading-with-dow-near-46850-sp-nasdaq-also-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/live-updates\/30902\/","title":{"rendered":"US index futures drift lower in European trading, with Dow near 46,850; S&P, Nasdaq also down"},"content":{"rendered":"Dow Jones futures fell 0.27% to about 46,850 in European hours on Tuesday. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.50% to about 6,670, while Nasdaq 100 futures slid 0.58% to about 24,530. \n\nThe declines followed a fresh rise in oil prices, which added to inflation concerns. Crude prices rose as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely shut, raising fears of longer disruptions to global energy supply. \n\n

Regional Tensions And Oil Risks<\/h3> \nRegional tensions increased after Iran intensified attacks on energy infrastructure. A drone strike caused a fire at the UAE\u2019s Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, with no injuries reported. \n\nSeveral countries rejected calls from US President Donald Trump to send naval escorts for tankers using the strait. Trump criticised Western allies and said they had not matched past US support, adding to diplomatic strains. \n\nMarkets also reacted to the inflation impact of higher energy costs, which can affect monetary policy. Expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts weakened. \n\nThe CME FedWatch Tool shows traders expect the Fed to keep rates unchanged at 3.50%\u20133.75% at Wednesday\u2019s meeting. This would be a second straight pause. \n\n

Looking Back At Last Years Volatility<\/h3> \nWe remember the market instability last year when Middle East tensions caused a sharp spike in crude oil prices, dragging down equity futures. That event served as a stark reminder of how quickly geopolitical risk can translate into market-wide volatility. The fear then was that a surge in oil would fuel inflation and force the Federal Reserve’s hand. \n\nToday, while the acute crisis at the Strait of Hormuz has eased, the effects linger as oil prices remain elevated. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is currently trading around $81 per barrel, well above the levels seen before last year’s disruptions. Considering over 20% of the world’s total oil consumption still passes through that narrow channel, any renewed tension presents a significant risk to supply chains. \n\nThe inflationary impact from that 2025 energy shock is now evident in the latest economic data. The most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for February 2026 showed inflation persisting at 3.1%, proving stickier than many had hoped. This sustained price pressure is a direct consequence of the higher energy costs that have filtered through the economy over the past year. \n\nThis has left the Federal Reserve in a difficult position, keeping interest rates in the 3.75%-4.00% range to combat this inflation. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a rate cut by June 2026 has now dropped to below 50%, a significant shift from earlier expectations. Traders must now price in a “higher for longer” interest rate environment for at least the next quarter. \n\nGiven this backdrop, we see wisdom in positioning for continued volatility, even with the VIX currently hovering around a relatively calm 15. Purchasing protective put options on broad market indices like the S&P 500 could provide a valuable hedge against any sudden downturns. Additionally, using options on energy sector ETFs can be an effective way to speculate on further price swings in crude oil. \n\nHigher energy costs will continue to act as a headwind for fuel-sensitive sectors like transportation and airlines. We should therefore be cautious with long positions in these areas. Instead, consider strategies that benefit from this environment, such as call options on major energy producers who profit from elevated crude prices.\n\nCreate your live VT Markets account<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0start trading<\/a>\u00a0now. <\/b>\n

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Start trading now – Click here<\/a> to create your real VT Markets account <\/strong> <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US stock futures slipped as oil jumped on Hormuz disruptions and Iran attacks, dampening Fed cut expectations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-updates"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"josephine","author_link":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/author\/josephine\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30902\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarketsglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}