Stocks edge higher as investors mull Iran talks and Nvidia earnings

LONDON/SINGAPORE - European stocks rose and U.S. futures flatlined on Thursday as investors mulled tentative signs of progress in Iran peace talks, while Nvidia stock slipped despite the chip-making giant's earnings beating expectations.

Europe's STOXX 600 index was up 0.2%, having fallen earlier in the session.

Futures for the S&P 500 and tech-focused Nasdaq were both little changed.

The S&P 500 rose 1.1% on Wednesday after three days of declines as oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran talks were in the final stages, though he said he could also restart attacks.

The rally carried over into Asia overnight, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbing 2.6%.

Samsung shares jumped 8.5% after the electronics giant's union said it would suspend industrial action, averting a strike that threatened global chip supply.

Investors in the U.S. and Europe on Thursday were left mulling mixed messages from Trump on Iran. The U.S. president said on Wednesday he could wait a few days for "the right answers" from Tehran, but was also willing to resume strikes on the country.

Pakistan was stepping up diplomatic efforts to keep U.S.-Iran peace talks on track, as officials in Tehran said they were reviewing Washington's latest responses.

"Conviction is lower this time," said Francesco Pesole, currency strategist at ING. "Rhetoric from both sides remains belligerent, and markets are more hesitant to chase optimistic headlines after earlier disappointments."

NVIDIA UNDERWHELMS IN HOT AI MARKET

Shares in Nvidia, the world's biggest company by market capitalisation, slipped 0.4% in pre-market trading despite the firm beating Wall Street expectations.

Nvidia on Wednesday forecast second-quarter earnings of $91 billion and announced an $80 billion share repurchase programme.

"Investors want the world from Nvidia," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.

"Despite the company once again beating consensus quarterly sales and earnings estimates, the shares fell in pre-market trading on worries around the sustainability of its rapid growth."

Questions about the durability of the AI rally have failed to dent the massive rise in U.S. stocks, however, which are up more than 8% this year.

In currencies, the index tracking the U.S. dollar, which has been a safe haven for investors during the war, was flat at 99.15.

It slipped from a six-week high of 99.47 on Wednesday on hopes of progress in peace talks.

The euro was flat at $1.16 on Thursday, just above a six-week low.

Meanwhile, 10-year U.S. Treasury yields, which set the tone for borrowing costs around the world, were up 1 basis point at 4.58%.

They hit a 16-month high of 4.687% on Tuesday, as traders continued to scrap their previous bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts.

(Reporting by Harry Robertson in London and Gregor Stuart Hunter in Singapore; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Alex Richardson)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 2:27 AM.