US stock futures hit pause on Friday as investors waited for weekend talks that could cement the shaky Iran war ceasefire, with a war-tinged update on US consumer inflation on deck.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) were little changed after solid closing gains pushed the blue-chip index into positive territory for 2026. Contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) floated just above the flat line, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) edged up 0.2% on the heels of a seventh winning day in a row.

Investors are focused on the Iran-US talks slated to occur this weekend, looking for signs the fragile two-week truce might lead to a longer-lasting plan for peace. Ahead of the meeting, President Trump ramped up pressure on Iran to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with little sign of success. Traffic through the world’s most critical chokepoint for energy supply is still thin.

Oil futures were broadly flat, erasing the slight gains that followed Saudi Arabia’s warning that Iran’s recent attacks have lowered its production capacity. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) hovered just below $97 a barrel, while the international counterpart Brent crude futures (BZ=F) neared $96.

The release of consumer price index (CPI) data on Friday will show how much consumer prices rose in March as the war stoked a surge in oil prices. Forecasts point to soaring inflation as gasoline prices skyrocketed, with annual headline inflation seen at 3.4% — a rapid acceleration from February.

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