Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures retreat as oil rallies amid Iran war jitters

March 20, 2026

Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures retreat as oil rallies amid Iran war jitters

Breaking News

Image source: Pexels



US stock futures pulled back on Friday, setting up for weekly losses as oil turned higher amid continued worries tied to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both fell about 0.6%.

Meanwhile, futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 sank 0.8%, eyeing another downbeat day after stocks on Wall Street closed lower on Thursday.

Stocks are sliding as investors assess an Axios report that the Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island, vital to Iran's oil exports.

The risky operation would aim to put pressure on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker shipping of crude. Yahoo Finance reports.

EdgeUp

🧪 Top Wall Street forecasters revamp BioLineRx expectations ahead of Q4 earnings

BioLineRx Ltd. will release earnings for its fourth quarter before the opening bell on Monday, March 23.

On Nov. 24, BioLine Rx reported third-quarter losses of 22 cents per share, compared to losses of 7 cents per share in the year-ago period.

The company reported quarterly sales of $427.000 thousand, down from $4.943 million a year earlier.

Shares of BioLineRx gained 3.4% to close at $2.7094 on Thursday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page.

Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables. Benzinga reports.


🛰️ Why Planet Labs shares are trading higher by around 17%

Shares of Planet Labs PBC rose sharply in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales results and issued FY27 guidance above estimates.

Planet Labs reported quarterly revenue of $86.82 million, which beat the consensus estimate of $78.53 million and was up from $61.55 million in the same period last year, according to Benzinga Pro.

Planet Labs shares jumped 16.8% to $31.50 in the pre-market trading session. Benzinga reports.


⚖️ Super Micro co-founder charged with sending AI tech to China

The US charged a Super Micro Computer Inc. co-founder with illegally diverting billions of dollars in Nvidia Corp.-powered servers to China, initiating its highest-profile case against alleged smuggling of restricted AI technology to the Asian country.

Super Micro’s shares plummeted more than 20% in pre-market trading.

US prosecutors charged Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw in a scheme to send US-assembled servers containing Nvidia’s cutting-edge chips to China in violation of US export controls.

Liaw and two others associated with the company allegedly sold the AI tech through a Southeast Asia company knowing it would be sent on to China. Yahoo Finance reports.


🧴 Unilever looks to offload $33 billion food business to McCormick

Unilever Plc is in talks to sell its food business to McCormick & Co., in what would be the biggest overhaul of the owner of Hellmann’s mayonnaise since it was founded almost a century ago.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company said Friday it had received an offer from the Maryland-based spices and seasonings maker, but that there was no certainty a deal would be achieved.

Any sale would mark the biggest transaction in the history of McCormick, which is just a fraction of the size of Unilever.

No details on how any deal would be financed have been provided yet. Yahoo Finance reports.


🚀 Why is FLY stock up 8% in premarket?

Firefly Aerospace stock jumped by over 8% in early premarket trading on Friday, sparking high interest among retail traders on Stocktwits, after the rocket company reported a massive surge in revenue and narrower losses in the fourth quarter.

December quarter revenue increased 538% to $57.7 million, while net loss more than halved to $41.1 million from $84.1 million, according to results published on Thursday after-market hours. StockTwits reports.

Top 5 Movers in Early Pre-Market

(All pricing and percent gains are based on Early Pre-Market from 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM Eastern Time)
Stock Analysis reports.


1) BIAF: bioAffinity Technologies, Inc.
Total gain: +19.87%

2) PL: Planet Labs PBC
Total gain: +17.40%

3) IDN: Intellicheck, Inc.
Total gain: +15.42%

4) ANNA: The Oncology Institute, Inc.
Total gain: +14.78%

5) AURE: Aurelion Inc.
Total gain: +11.43%

Yesterday’s Biggest Movers

The closing price of the top three market percent gainers trading near or above $3 on March 19.
Stock Analysis reports.

*All pricing and percent gains are based on regular market trading hours from 9:30am to 4:00pm Eastern Time

1) DLTH Duluth Holdings Inc.
Total gain: +44.70%
The company announced its financial results for the fiscal Fourth Quarter ended February 1, 2026. Globe Newswire reports.

2) CHNR: China Natural Resources, Inc.
Total gain: +32.12%
The company announced that it has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") with Feishang Group Limited, its principal shareholder ("Feishang"), to acquire 100% shares of a wholly owned subsidiary of Feishang that will own, directly or indirectly, 59.79% of the equity interest of HooRii Technology (HK) Limited ("HooRii"), a limited liability company incorporated in Hong Kong specializing in physical AI development, through the combination of IOT and artificial intelligence, to bring AI into the physical world (the "Acquisition"). The Company has established a special committee consisting of all of the independent directors to evaluate the Acquisition. PR Newswire reports.

3) LNZA: LanzaTech Global, Inc.
Total gain: +31.87%
The stock appeared to be moving on no notable news.

Today’s Notable Earnings

*Estimate and Actual numbers represent Earnings Per Share in US Dollars


FUFU: BitFuFu
Q4 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: 0.010
Actual: N/A


MIST: Milestone Pharmaceuticals
Q4 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: -0.180
Actual: N/A


XPEV: XPeng
Q4 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: N/A
Actual: N/A

Parting Thoughts

“Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.”

– John Maynard Keynes

Sourced in: Keynes Quotes – Investopedia.

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