US STOCKS-Wall St futures fall on Middle East uncertainties ahead of Trump-Xi talks

Sept 24 (Reuters) - Wall Street futures dropped on Thursday as the Middle East conflict remained far from a resolution while investors also exercised caution ahead of a keenly watched summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

US and Iran leaders exchanged barbs at the UN General Assembly this week, which sent Brent crude prices back to above $100 a barrel. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond reached its highest since 2004, as investors priced in the likelihood of a long war.

Shares of airlines and cruise operators, which are sensitive to energy prices, ticked down. JetBlue JBLU.O and United UAL.O lost more than 1% each in premarket trading while Norwegian Cruise NCLH.N and Royal Caribbean RCL.N also fell.

AI-related stocks that had powered the Nasdaq .IXIC to record highs earlier this week were also among top decliners. Meta META.O and Nvidia NVDA.O fell 2% and 1%, respectively, while Marvell MRVL.O and Intel INTC.O slid about 3% each.

The spotlight is expected to turn next towards the summit, with investors anticipating discussions around AI regulation, the Middle East conflict and Taiwan. Top executives from General Motors GM.N, Meta, Apple AAPL.O, Amazon AMZN.O and Tesla TSLA.O are also expected to meet Trump and Xi.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that the two economic superpowers have agreed to extend their truce until January 10.

At 5:25 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 173 points, or 0.33%, and S&P 500 E-minis were down 44.25 points, or 0.57%. Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 309.75 points, or 1.01%.

Higher energy costs and recent data suggesting strong business activity led investors to bet on further interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve. They now see a 71% chance of at least a 25-basis-point hike next month — up from around 50% a day ago — the CME Group's FedWatch Tool showed.

New York Fed President John Williams, who has a vote on the Federal Open Market Committee, underlined those expectations. It was reasonable to think that rates might need to be raised again this year, he said.

A weekly report on jobless claims is due later in the day, along with remarks from other policymakers Beth Hammack and Anna Paulson.

The focus this week has also been on Meta after its consumer AI agent Muse split Wall Street into winners and losers. The social media giant on Wednesday launched Meta Charm, a small handheld gadget for using Muse.

Other movers included MGM Resorts MGM.N, which dropped 8.3% after media mogul Barry Diller's People Inc PPLI.O withdrew its proposal to purchase the casino operator.

Knife River KNF.N rose 3.6% after a report said activist investor Starboard has taken a significant stake and plans to push the construction materials and contracting service provider to improve margins or explore a sale.