Dow futures leap 600 points, S&P 500 poised for record after Bessent says Hormuz deal is close: Live updates

Stock market futures surged on Tuesday, buoyed by robust quarterly earnings from firms like Caterpillar and Palantir Technologies. Oil prices dipped as hopes grew for a U.S.-Iranian peace deal. Dow Jones futures climbed 600 points, or 1.1%, propelled by Caterpillar's 9% surge. S&P 500 futures increased 0.3%, while Nasdaq-100 futures rose 1.1%, following Palantir's more than 15% premarket rally.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed in a CNBC interview that "we are in talks with the Iranians," hinting at a possible deal to open the Strait of Hormuz and normalize relations. Oil prices fell 4% for West Texas Intermediate futures to near $77 per barrel, and 3% for Brent crude to around $80 a barrel. On Monday, the Dow closed at a record high after Amazon surpassed $3 trillion in market cap, and Nvidia, Meta Platforms, Alphabet, and Microsoft also saw significant gains.

Caterpillar reported stronger-than-expected Q2 results, raising its revenue growth forecast and citing robust demand for its equipment. Palantir also delivered impressive second-quarter numbers, with CEO Alex Karp describing the company's artificial intelligence demand as "otherworldly" and optimistic about the future. Micron Technology and Marvell Technology also led tech gains.

Corporate animal spirits were high, fueled by positive manufacturing and services data and recent earnings calls. Investors are closely watching SpaceX's first quarterly earnings as a public company and Pfizer's second-quarter results, which beat expectations. Merck also beat the Street, sending its stock up over 1% in premarket trading.

Caterpillar's strong performance boosted Dow futures, which hit their highs for the day. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 2.09% to $82.02 per barrel, while Brent crude increased 2.8% to $86.11 a barrel. Treasury yields slightly rose as investors weighed the ongoing uncertainty in Middle East negotiations. Asia-Pacific markets ended the day higher, with South Korea's Kospi up 1.62% and Japan's Nikkei 225 increasing 0.32%.