Wall Street futures whipsaw on conflicting reports near Strait of Hormuz

U.S. stock index futures swung on Monday, May 4, 2026, asourceser conflicting reports about a U.S. warship near the Strait of Hormuz heightened investor anxiety over the Middle East conflict.

By 6:49 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 189 points (0.38%), S&P 500 E-minis fell 6.5 points (0.09%), and Nasdaq 100 E-minis slipped 5.25 points (0.02%).

The moves followed a report from Iran’s Fars news agency claiming two missiles struck a U.S. warship. Losses later eased asourceser an sources reporter posted on X that a senior U.S. official denied the attack.

The episode underscored how sensitive markets have become to headlines tied to the conflict, now in its third month, even as a strong corporate earnings season has supported sentiment.

Oil prices rose 3.7% to above $110 a barrel, keeping a geopolitical risk premium in global markets.

In company news, Berkshire Hathaway reported it was a net seller of stocks for the 14th consecutive quarter.

Separately, eBay shares rose 9.5% in premarket trading asourceser GameStop unveiled a proposal to buy the company for about $56 billion in a cash-and-stock deal, while GameStop shares dipped 4%.

FedEx and UPS shares each fell more than 2% asourceser Amazon announced it was opening its logistics network to other businesses.