US markets today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures hint positive open; BlackRock, Bank of America, other stocks to watch

US equity futures indicate a higher opening for the benchmark indices on Wednesday, October 14, as investors focus on the upcoming CPI inflation data amid elevated crude oil prices, weak cues from Asia and key company earnings for the September quarter.

Dow Jones futures were trading 0.34% higher at 52,112 points, indicating a positive open on Wednesday’s market.

The exchange data also showed that the S&P 500 index futures were trading 0.20% higher at 7,871.50 points; in contrast, Nasdaq 100 futures were trading flat at around 30,786 points but indicated a higher open in comparison to the previous close.

Investors also closely monitor the US Treasury yields amid the inflation data in focus. The benchmark US 10-year Treasury note yield was at 5.19% as of October 14, ahead of the CPI data release.

Key things to watch before US market open

Economic data in focus

Equity market investors are expected to focus on the upcoming US consumer price index (CPI) inflation data for the month of September 2026, which is scheduled to be released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 am (ET).

Apart from the key inflation data, market investors will also watch out for the US Federal Reserve Beige Book release at 2:00 pm (ET), which is published eight times every year and shows a summary of the current economic condition in the United States.

US stocks to watch

Asian markets end in red

Asian markets ended in the red after their trading session on Wednesday, October 14, as investors remained cautious while focusing on crude oil prices hitting $107 per barrel, weak cues from the previous Wall Street close, and selling momentum in tech stocks.

MarketWatch data showed that Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended 0.05% lower, Hong Kong-based Hang Seng ended 0.13% lower, China’s Shanghai Composite closed 0.88% lower, India’s SENSEX ended 0.34% lower, South Korea’s KOSPI closed 0.44% lower, and Singapore’s FTSE closed 0.13% lower on Wednesday.

Oil rises to $107/barrel

Global crude oil prices surged to hit an intraday high of $107.15 per barrel (bbl) on Wednesday’s market as commodity market investors focused on reports of a container ship sinking in the southern region of the Strait of Hormuz on October 14.

Several media reports suggest that a commercial vessel sank on Wednesday after hitting a naval mine and catching fire, while transiting the key maritime trading route, as per an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official statement.

A Reuters report showed that the ship was carrying more than 2,500 containers.

As of 5:41 pm (IST), the benchmark Brent crude oil price was trading 0.43% higher at $106.13 per bbl on Wednesday’s market, in comparison to the previous market close levels of $105.69 per bbl, according to Investing.com data.

How did the US market end on Tuesday?

The US equity market indices ended lower after the trading session on Tuesday, October 13, as investors focused on the mixed earnings from banking stocks, elevated oil prices and the hawkish sentiment from US Federal Reserve officials, which impacted sentiment in the equity markets.

Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.35% lower at 51,670.10 points, in comparison to 51,850.55 points at the previous equity market close, according to MarketWatch data.

The S&P 500 index closed 0.02% lower at 7,805.45 points after the trading session on Tuesday, compared to 7,807.24 points at the previous US stock market close, as per the exchange data.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index ended 0.31% lower at 30,569.48 points after the trading session on October 13, in comparison to 30,664.70 points at the previous Wall Street close.