By Angus Berwick
Global oil prices eased and stock futures pared some losses after President Trump signaled he would give some time for negotiations before deciding on potential strikes on Iran.
On Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would make a decision within two weeks--a time span he often cites when faced with difficult situations--easing fears of imminent military intervention.
As the conflict enters its second week, Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire. European foreign ministers are set to meet with Iranian officials in Geneva on Friday to press them to de-escalate and to offer a rollback of Tehran's nuclear activities.
Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, fell 2% Friday, reversing Thursday's rally.
U.S. stock and bond markets will reopen Friday, after the Juneteenth holiday. A chunk of this week's brief earnings slate are due this morning, with results expected from supermarket chain Kroger, Accenture and Darden Restaurants.
Trade tensions rattle on in the background. On Thursday, Canada unveiled import curbs and other policies to aid its steel sector, which is struggling under the U.S.'s hefty 50% levies.
In recent trading:
-- Stock futures were down modestly. Contracts tied to the Dow industrials, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 slipped around 0.2%.
-- The U.S. dollar weakened slightly, while Treasury yields were little changed.
-- Bitcoin prices rose toward $106,000.
-- Global markets were mixed. The Stoxx Europe 600 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained, while Japan's Nikkei fell slightly.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 20, 2025 05:54 ET (09:54 GMT)
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