Trump Weighs Involvement in Iran Conflict, Stocks Edge up

Stock futures were higher on Friday, with investors monitoring conflict in the Middle East between Iran and Israel, and potential direct U.S. involvement.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 62 points, or 0.2%, to 42,574.

Futures for the S&P 500 index eked up eight points, or 0.2%, to 6,042.25

Futures for the NASDAQ tacked on 41.75 points, or 0.7%, to 21,987.

For the week, the S&P 500 is up marginally with a gain of 0.07%. The 30-stock Dow has lost 0.06%, while the NASDAQ has advanced about 1%.

CarMax shares surged about 10% in the pre-market Friday after its first-quarter results topped Wall Street’s expectations.

Investors remain jittery as the conflict between Israel and Iran has yet to cool. President Donald Trump is weighing direct U.S. involvement with a strike on Tehran, with the White House on Thursday saying that he will make a final decision within the next two weeks.

Trump previously called for Tehran’s complete surrender, to which Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, labeled the notion “threatening and ridiculous.”

On the economic front, investors will monitor the Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing survey on Friday morning, followed by the Conference Board’s leading economic indicators reading for May.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index surrendered 0.2% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng jumped 1.3%

Oil prices gave up 84 cents to $74.30 U.S. a barrel.

Gold prices faded $42.40 to $3,365.70 U.S. an ounce.