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Dow futures rise 100 factors forward of holiday-shortened session

US stock index futures rose early in the trading day on the Thursday before the last trading day of the week with shortened holidays.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicated an opening gain of around 100 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures also traded in positive territory.

The S&P 500 ended Wednesday’s session barely changed – up less than 0.1% – after slipping in the last few minutes of trading. Even so, the benchmark index suffered a three-day streak of bad luck. The Dow gained 114.32 points, or 0.38%, after rising more than 270 points at one point during the session. The Nasdaq Composite hit a record high before wiping out those gains and closing 0.29% lower.

“It was sold in the index-dominating tech names that weighed on the SPX, not in the general market weakness,” Vital Knowledge’s Adam Crisafulli said in a note. Netflix and Microsoft were among the declining tech names, falling 2.4% and 1.3% respectively.

The late-day decline came as investors took profits late in the year and President Donald Trump vetoed a comprehensive defense bill. The move came after calling the US $ 900 billion congressional aid package to Covid an inappropriate “shame”. The president looked particularly at direct payments, which were to be increased from $ 600 to $ 2,000.

Democrats will attempt to make $ 2,000 direct payments Thursday, but Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Will object, CNBC reported. Meanwhile, McCarthy plans to offer a new temporary spending bill that will separate State Department funding and foreign aid funding from the wider spending package – a plan Democrats would likely oppose.

The main averages were mixed until the last day of the shortened vacation week. The Nasdaq is well on its way to end the week higher while the Dow and S&P 500 are slightly lower for the week. The Russell 2,000, which hit a new intraday and all-time high on Wednesday, is also higher for the week. Amid the strength of small-cap names, the index is on its way to its eighth straight week of earnings – the longest weekly earnings streak since February 2019.

With only 4.5 trading days a year, the Nasdaq is well on its way to becoming the clear winner, currently up around 42%. The Russell 2,000 is up 20% over the year while the Dow and S&P 500 are up 5.6% and 14.2%, respectively.

In terms of data, US jobless claims for the week ended December 19 were 803,000, better than an estimate of 888,000, according to economists polled by Dow Jones. However, both core durable goods and personal income fell below expectations in November.

The market closes early on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET and closes on Friday for Christmas.

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Dow futures rise as shares try to bounce again from shedding week

Traders work on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

NYSE

US stock futures rose early Monday as markets indicated a rebound from a lost week.

Investors are weighing updates on the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine and the coronavirus stimulus stalemate in Washington

Dow futures indicated an opening gain of more than 180 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures also traded in positive territory.

Last week, stocks saw their first week of downturn in several months as lawmakers continued a stalemate over a Covid-19 bailout package.

The S&P 500 fell nearly 1% in its first negative week in three years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.57% for its first negative week in three and the Nasdaq Composite lost nearly 0.7% for its first negative week in four.

Next week is expected to be market-moving with the launch of the Pfizer vaccine and a Federal Reserve policy meeting. Tesla is also joining the S&P 500 on Friday.

Following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency approval for Pfizer’s vaccine, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield signed the drug so that vaccinations could officially continue for those aged 16 and over.

The US has started shipping the cans from a Pfizer facility in Michigan to hundreds of distribution centers around the country. The FDA is expected to publish its assessment of Moderna’s vaccine this week.

The Covid-19 vaccine launches on some of the darkest days of the pandemic in the United States. More than 2,300 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded on Saturday, after over 3,300 deaths on Friday. New infections keep exploding. More than 219,000 cases were reported on Saturday.

The surge in cases coincides with months of debates in Washington over another round of Covid relief. A non-partisan group has proposed a $ 908 billion limit. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has opposed the proposal, instead calling for an agreement that eliminates corporate liability and funding provisions from state and local governments. These two issues are major sources of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats.

“Politically, the debate continues on more tax legislation that is badly needed for much of the population, but will also create an even bigger ‘wall of money’ for consumers when the economies are fully reopened,” said Raymond James’ Tavis McCourt towards customers on Sunday.

“It is very clear that the economy is slowing as the local stalemate persists, but the impact on the stock market has so far been limited. Whether this will continue through Q1 is unclear, but we expect withdrawals to be limited unless the vaccine changes significantly. ” History, “he added.

The Fed begins its two-day meeting on Tuesday, the last central bank meeting in 2020. Economists have speculated that the Fed might make changes to its bond program. The Fed is currently buying at least $ 80 billion a month from Treasuries, and Fed officials at their last meeting discussed what they could do to change that program.

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Inventory futures fall as merchants weigh stimulus prospects and surging Covid circumstances

Stock futures fell early Tuesday as traders watched negotiations on additional fiscal stimulus as the U.S. coronavirus case number continued to rise.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures implied an opening loss of around 150 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were also lower.

Tesla shares fell from a record high after the electric vehicle maker announced it was selling up to $ 5 billion worth of shares.

Republican and Democratic leaders said Monday that Congress is trying to extend state funding for another week to try to reach an agreement on the new Covid-19 aid. The news came after a bipartisan group of senators tabled a $ 908 billion stimulus proposal last week.

“The news from DC that talks on fiscal stimulus have resumed is also a positive development (although this might all be hats, not beasts, until a deal actually gets past the president’s desk),” wrote Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. “These headlines come at a critical time as we remain in a challenging time from both a health and an economic perspective.”

Calls for a new relief bill to be enforced before the end of the year has risen recently as U.S. employment growth continues to slow and the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, more than 14.8 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the United States. The country’s daily infection rate is also at an all-time high, averaging seven days.

This recent surge in Covid-19 cases has prompted several states and cities to introduce stricter social distancing measures. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday that New York City could lose indoor dining next week, adding that stricter restrictions would be imposed if hospitals reach a critical point.

“You cannot overwhelm the hospital system,” said Cuomo. “Overpowering the hospital system means people die on a stretcher in a hallway.”

The spike in Covid infections combined with uncertainty about additional tax subsidies kept the Dow and S&P 500 off record levels on Monday. The Dow slipped nearly 150 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 retreated 0.2%. However, the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to a new record as traders sold value stocks in favor of soaring growth names.

The iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) was down 0.6%. Its growth counterpart, the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IMF), rose 0.4%.

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