Dow Futures remain subdued following a recent increase in oil prices that negatively impacted sentiment in the previous session. U.S. President Donald Trump dismisses Iranian demands for war reparations, further undermining prospects for an immediate resolution in the conflict. Shares of Riot Platforms experience a significant increase in after-hours trading subsequent to the announcement of a multi-billion cloud agreement with Anthropic, while chipmaker Intel secures $20 billion through an expanded share offering.

Dow futures remained near the flatline on Tuesday, as investors prepared for significant inflation data scheduled for later this week while evaluating news related to artificial intelligence and the conflict in Iran. By 03:05, the Dow futures contract had declined by 51 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures remained largely stable. The primary indices on Wall Street experienced a decline in the last session, as waning optimism regarding a resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once again elevated oil prices, intensifying concerns about a potential surge in energy-driven inflation and the tightening of monetary policy by central banks. U.S. Treasury yields, which move inversely to prices, increased, exerting additional pressure on equities. Meanwhile, Nvidia has confirmed a substantial AI infrastructure agreement with a group of prominent financial institutions, including Apollo, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and KKR. The agreement seeks to assist the AI chipmaking giant in mobilising over $500 billion in external capital for the development of the infrastructure essential to support the emerging technology. Shares of Nvidia experienced a decline exceeding 2% following the initial report by the Financial Times regarding the announcement. Analysts observed that the news exemplifies Nvidia “extending its balance sheet to drive AI infrastructure demand.” Ongoing concerns regarding the sustainability of the AI boom have dampened sentiment in recent weeks, somewhat counterbalancing the optimism stemming from what has been a strong quarterly earnings season for S&P 500 companies.

Simultaneously, there are scant indications that the U.S. and Iran are nearing a significant advancement regarding a Middle East peace agreement, effectively diminishing the enthusiasm that had been palpable just a week prior regarding the prospect of an imminent accord. U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed a series of new demands from Iran that emerged over the weekend, particularly Tehran’s request for Washington to provide reparations for the damages incurred during the ongoing conflict that has lasted more than five months. Trump stated that this was a new demand that Iran’s negotiators had not previously introduced. He stated that it is Tehran that must provide compensation “for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.” As both parties engage in a war of words and mutual allegations, the Strait of Hormuz continues to be effectively closed, thereby constraining global oil supplies. Before the onset of the conflict in late February, approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas transited thru the narrow passage along Iran’s southern coastline. Oil prices, having varied in response to changing anticipations regarding a possible agreement, experienced an increase. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, increased by 1.8% to reach $89.34 per barrel.

Anthropic signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms to secure AI computing capacity, Bloomberg news reported, highlighting the AI developer’s aggressive push to lock in infrastructure as demand for its Claude tools continues to grow. Riot shares surged over 20% in after-hours trading following the company’s announcement of a data center agreement earlier in the day, although the customer was not disclosed. Reports indicate that Anthropic is the client associated with Riot’s previously undisclosed data center agreement, according to sources familiar with the situation.The agreement encompasses 191 megawatts of computing capacity at Riot’s Rockdale, Texas, campus and is set to continue until June 2048. Riot anticipates that the contract will yield $9.1 billion in revenue, with the potential for two five-year extension options to elevate total sales to approximately $16.1 billion.

Intel Corporation said it had raised $20 billion from an upsized stock offering, as the chipmaker cashes in on a major share recovery to build out more manufacturing capacity.  Intel announced that the offering was set at $95 per share, reflecting a 2.6% discount from its prior closing price. The company offered 210.5 million shares of common stock and granted underwriters of the offering a 30-day option to purchase up to 31.6 million additional shares. The chipmaker, which initially stated its intention to raise $15 billion thru the offering, indicated that the proceeds will be allocated for general corporate purposes. Shares of Intel experienced a decline of more than 4% on Monday. Intel’s stock has surged so far this year, as the company plans to invest significantly in the facilities and advanced packaging necessary to compete with contract chipmaking rivals such as TSMC.

The Reserve Bank of Australia maintained its interest rates on Tuesday, aligning with expectations, in light of recent indications of moderating inflation. However, the central bank cautioned that inflationary pressures remain elevated, keeping the possibility of future rate increases on the table. The RBA maintained its benchmark rate at 4.35% in a unanimous decision. The RBA has increased interest rates by a total of 75 basis points to date this year. Markets had widely anticipated a pause following the Australian consumer price index inflation report, which came in softer than expected for the second quarter. Policymakers have revised downward their inflation projections for the end of 2026. However, the RBA cautioned that headline and core inflation both persisted at elevated levels and were expected to remain high in the short term. The central bank identified elevated fuel prices, resulting from the Iran conflict, as a significant contributor to inflationary pressures in the short term.