U.S. stock index futures were pointing to a firmer start for Wall Street on Monday, with some crediting the move to comments made by President Joe Biden about a reconsideration of China tariffs.
How are stock index futures trading?
- S&P 500 futures ES00, +0.40% rose 23 points, or 0.6%, to 3,923
- Dow Jones Industrial Average futures YM00, +0.37% climbed 168 points, or 0.5%, to 31,379
- Nasdaq-100 futures COMP, -0.30% rose 67 points, or 0.5%, to 11,908
U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.01% eking out a gain after briefly trading in bear-market territory earlier in the session.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.03% saw its eighth straight weekly decline, marking its longest losing streak since April 1932, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.30% each suffered seven straight weekly losses, their longest losing stretch since March 2001.
What’s driving the markets?
Stock futures were rising from late Sunday, though off earlier highs .
Investors appeared ready to buy a market beaten down by weeks of selling. That was despite reports of surging COVID cases in Beijing. where officials extended an order for students and workers to stay home and will carry out more mass testing in the nation’s second-largest city.
The China CSI 300 000300, -0.58% fell 0.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index HSI, -1.19% fell 1.2%.
Analysts attributed equity index futures gains to comments by President Joe Biden, who said China tariffs imposed during the Trump administration were under consideration and would be discussed with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen upon his return to the U.S., according to Bloomberg News.
Biden also said the U.S. would defend Taiwan from any aggression by China.
Read: In Tokyo, Biden set to launch new Indo-Pacific trade pact to replace TPP
“U.S. noises in Asia, particularly comments about the tariffs, maybe kindled some fleeting optimism in the market but it’s going to take more than this to reset the bear market, albeit the S&P 500 is now trading below its 10-year average PE [price earnings] for the first time since March 2020 and cash levels are extremely high,” said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, in a note to clients.
Read: Buy the dip or sell the ‘rip’?: What’s ahead for stock investors as ‘sticky’ inflation fears heighten consumer concern
Appetite for risk was weighing on the dollar. The ICE Dollar Index DXY, -0.66%, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, dropped 0.5%. Oil prices CL00, +0.46% were modestly higher. Gold prices GC00, +0.93% rose nearly 1% as the dollar pulled back.
There is no U.S. economic data on the calendar for Monday, but investors will keep an eye on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which is back after a two-year absence.
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