Oil prices fell and stock futures rose modestly on Sunday evening after a pause in the fighting between the United States and Iran gave investors hope that more energy might soon start flowing from the region.
Prices surged throughout most of July as the cease-fire between the countries fell apart. Then, last week, oil briefly topped $100 a barrel after the Houthis, an Iran-backed group, broadened the conflict by threatening a blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
But President Trump’s decision to hold off, at least temporarily, on a major escalation of the war, as The New York Times reported on Saturday, brought renewed optimism about a resolution.
