Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 Futures Gain as Scott Bessent Touts 'Toughest Sanctions' for Iran— Ross Stores, Strategy, Flowers Foods in Focus
3m | Aug 21, 2026U.S. stock futures advanced on Friday, as the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices rose, following Thursday’s lower close.
In response to the ongoing Middle East tensions, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the nation will levy "the toughest sanctions in history" against Iran. This statement comes after President Donald Trump previously threatened "Economic Warfare" along with "tremendous" ramifications for any countries assisting Tehran.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.69%, and the two-year bond was at 4.18%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool projections show markets pricing a 34.6% likelihood of the Federal Reserve hiking the current interest rates during its September meeting.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Friday. The SPY was up 0.42% at $765.82, while the QQQ advanced by 0.66% to $715.61.
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