Wall Street up modestly in premarket trading, oil prices climb on uncertainty over the Iran war

Oil prices remained elevated over disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and gas transit, with shipping activities still well below before the Iran war began in late February. Talks between the U.S. and Iran have dragged on, adding to uncertainty.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained $1.86 to $104.44 a barrel. It was trading around $70 per barrel in February before the war’s start. Benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.09 to $97.44 a barrel.

On Thursday, Republicans in Congress delayed until June planned votes on dismissing legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war.

The House had scheduled a Thursday vote on a war powers resolution brought by Democrats that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it.

“Markets are still searching for signs of progress in a potential deal between the U.S. and Iran,” ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note on Friday. “While there are signs of optimism, uncertainty reigns.”

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury was at 4.55%, down from more than 4.67% earlier in the week, when higher global inflationary pressures stemming from the war fueled a surge in bond yields.

Earlier this week, yields climbed so high they threatened to slow economies worldwide and undercut prices for stocks, bitcoin and all kinds of other investments.

In equities trading Friday, Estee Lauder soared 13% after the New York cosmetics giant announced that it was no longer in talks to combine with the Spanish fragrance and beauty products company Puig.

Ross Stores jumped 5.8% after it beat Wall Street's first-quarter profit targets while logging a 21% increase in sales over the same period last year. The company credited increased store traffic, ongoing marketing initiatives and consumers spending more due to tax refunds.

At midday in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.3%, France's CAC 40 gained 0.4% and Germany's DAX climbed 0.8%.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.7% to 63,339.07, besting a record high close just over a week earlier. A report showed inflation hitting a four-year low in April, at 1.4%, despite higher prices for oil and gas due to the war.

South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.4% to 7,847.71.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng picked up 0.9% to 25,606.03, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.9% to 4,112.90.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 8,657.00.

Taiwan’s Taiex closed 2.2% higher, while India’s Sensex rose 0.6%.