Wall Street looked set to open higher, with major US indices hovering near record levels in premarket trading as optimism over a potential US-Iran agreement weighed on oil prices.
Futures tied to the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq 100 all moved modestly higher ahead of the opening bell amid expectations that a diplomatic breakthrough could help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude fell 2.1% to around $99 a barrel as negotiations between the US and Iran appeared to move closer to a limited agreement aimed at de-escalating the conflict.
The decline in energy prices has also encouraged traders to modestly increase expectations that the Federal Reserve could still deliver interest rate cuts before the end of the year.
US equities have meanwhile continued to benefit from strong momentum in technology and artificial intelligence stocks, supported by robust earnings reports and resilient economic data.
Fresh figures released on Wednesday showed US private payrolls increased by 109,000 jobs in April, marking the strongest monthly gain in 15 months and reinforcing confidence in the underlying strength of the economy.
