On Sunday evening, April 14th, US stock index futures rose slightly, recovering somewhat from the severe declines of the previous week, influenced by the risk of conflict between Iran and Israel, with the first-quarter earnings season showing little optimism.

Signs of continued high US inflation have mostly dispelled investors' predictions of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve in the first half of 2024, providing a forecast for longer-term high interest rates.

As of 7:57 PM Eastern Time (11:57 PM Greenwich Mean Time), S&P 500 index futures rose by 0.3% to 5,183.50 points, Nasdaq 100 index futures rose by 0.3% to 18,240.25 points. Dow Jones index futures rose by 0.2% to 38,329.0 points.

Over the weekend, concerns about broader Middle East confrontation intensified after Iran launched large-scale drone and missile attacks against Israel.

Although the damage from these attacks was limited, they heightened the threat of Israeli retaliation; however, Israeli officials stated that retaliatory action would not come soon.

Iran also stated that its actions were completed and it did not intend to take further action against Israel, with the weekend's attacks being retaliation for Israeli strikes on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

In the past week, Wall Street indices were hit by a series of negative factors, resulting in a significant profit reversal.

Last Friday, the S&P 500 index fell by 1.5% to 5,123.41 points, the Nasdaq Composite index fell by 1.6% to 16,175.09 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 37,983.24 points, down 1.2%.

Last week, the declines in the three major indices ranged from 0.6% to 2.5%. The biggest drag was the fading optimism about early rate cuts in the US, as continued high inflation data led investors to significantly reduce bets on a rate cut in June.

Soft profits at some major Wall Street banks also had a negative impact, bringing a pessimistic atmosphere to the first-quarter earnings season.

However, it is expected that earnings season will further intensify in the coming days. Goldman Sachs and Charles Schwab Corporation will announce their first-quarter earnings on Monday.

Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) will release their first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.