NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – The US stock markets are likely to try to stabilize again on the last trading day of the week. The leading index Dow Jones Industrial was calculated by broker IG to be up 0.3 percent at 46,860 points around an hour before the starting bell. The day before, the index came under pressure again due to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz. On a weekly basis, the Dow lost 1.4 percent. The technology-heavy NASDAQ 100 was indexed 0.4 percent higher on Friday at 24,630 points.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards are maintaining their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The Guards command center said it was following an order from the new religious leader Moschtaba Khamenei, according to the affiliated Fars news agency.
Oil prices fell slightly on Friday, but remain stubbornly high. At just under $94, the price for a barrel of US WTI crude oil was still almost half the level before the attack on Iran by the US and Israel.
In premarket trading, Adobe shares lost eight percent, threatening a low since 2019. The imminent departure of boss Shantanu Narayen has fueled market concerns about a possible change in strategy by the software provider. Adobe also disappointed with its sales in the last quarter. Several banks lowered their price targets for the shares, Barclays Bank downgraded the shares from “overweight” to “equal-weight”.
Ulta Beauty shares fell 7.5 percent. The chain specializing in cosmetics disappointed with its forecast for sales growth this year./bek/jha/
