Stock Futures Weaken as BlackRock and Citigroup Drag Nasdaq and S&P 500

Stock futures are expected to open weaker today as risk aversion intensifies due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, with stocks taking a sharp downturn while gold and oil rally. Israel has ordered the evacuation of over 1 million people from North Gaza, tensions are rising on the Israeli-Lebanese border, and clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces are reported. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index declined in October, accompanied by an unexpected increase in inflation expectations. Despite banks reporting better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, stock reactions were subdued due to deteriorating overall risk sentiment. Gold and oil emerged as top-performing assets, with the VanEck Gold Miners ETF rising 4.6% and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) rising over 22%.