US stock futures rise with focus on Mideast tensions, Fed meeting

U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday as easing oil prices boosted sentiment despite ongoing attacks between Israel and Iran, while investors focused on the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting. Wall Street indexes shed more than 1% on Friday as oil prices surged 7% after Israel and Iran traded air strikes, feeding investor worries that the combat could widely disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.   Leaders from the Group of Seven nations began annual talks on Monday. The dangers of further escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict loomed over the meeting, with U.S. President Donald Trump expressing hope on Sunday that a deal could be done, but no signs of the fighting abating on the fourth day of war. The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia remains ready to act as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Crude prices , pulled back slightly from January highs, offering some respite to investors worried about a resurgence in inflation. The surge in oil prices comes ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision on Wednesday, when policymakers are widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged.   Investors will focus on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments as well as the central bank's updated projections for monetary policy and the economy, for clues on potential rate cuts later this year. Money market moves show traders are pricing in about 48 basis points of rate cuts by the end of 2025, with a 56% chance of a 25-bps rate cut in September, according to CME Group's Fedwatch tool. "We expect the median participant to take on a more stagflationary flavor following April's tariff surprises, despite eased financial conditions from the weaker dollar, with higher inflation and downgraded GDP growth in 2025," Barclays strategists said in a note. "The dot plot is likely to show delayed rate cuts, with just one this year and three in 2026." Key data this week includes monthly retail sales, import prices and weekly jobless claims.