⁠The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were set to open higher on Friday as renewed hopes for U.S.-Iran negotiations ‌to end the war lifted sentiment, while a surge in Intel shares added further support.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to arrive in ​Islamabad on Friday night with a small team, and peace talks with the U.S. are likely to take place, a Pakistani source said.

The ​reprieve comes ​at the end of a week that hasso far been overshadowed by a stalemate between Washington and Tehran, which saw the U.S. maintaining its naval blockade of Iranian ports while Iran seized ships attempting to pass through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are past peak uncertainty. The most gutsy traders went in first and now the FOMO traders are jumping in," said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, referring to the "fear of missing out" that has drawn some traders off the sidelines.

Strong earnings from a series of corporations also offered some support. Yet with the results taking into account just one month ​of the war ‌disruption, some investors have ⁠questioned how reliable they are ⁠as a guide to what lies ahead.

At 7:55 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 27 points, or 0.05%, S&P 500 E-minis added ​27.25 points, or 0.38%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis gained 344.75 points, or 1.28%.

Oil prices remain ‌the biggest source of uncertainty, as Brent crude futures are still around 44% ⁠above pre-war levels because of disruption in the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Still, some see the pullback as a buying opportunity, arguing that valuations have become more compelling.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite have hit record highs in recent days on the belief that the economic fundamentals remain solid despite the war.

"Strong market entry points are rarely found during moments of comfort or clarity. Instead, the most attractive buying opportunities are typically associated with periods of market stress," said Jeff Schulze, head of economic and market strategy at ClearBridge Investments.

Intel jumped 27.6% premarket after forecasting second-quarter revenue above estimates. Rival AMD rose 11.9%. Comfort Systems gained 6.5% after the construction firm's first-quarter revenue topped estimates.

Online education platform Coursera slipped 12.4% after its first-quarter results.

DeepSeek, ‌the Chinese artificial intelligence startup whose low-cost model stunned the world last year, ⁠launched a preview of its highly awaited new model adapted for Huawei chip technology,

But the ​U.S. stocks battered by the model last year appeared to be holding up relatively well. ChatGPT-backer Microsoft was up 1.2%, and chip designer Marvell Technology rose 3.7%.

Investors are also awaiting the Federal Reserve policy meeting next week, for commentary from policymakers on the effects of elevated energy ​prices on the ‌world's largest economy and how it is shaping the central bank's outlook.

Traders see a 99.5% ⁠chance that interest rates will remain unchanged, according to ​data compiled by LSEG.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant and Avinash P in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)