Early on Tuesday, U.S. stock index futures signaled a cautious start for Wall Street as the new trading year commenced. Following a robust 2023 rally that brought the S&P 500 close to a fresh record, market sentiment appeared tentative.
Here’s how stock-index futures were faring:
- S&P 500 futures (ES00, -0.77%) edged up by 1 point, or 0%, reaching 4821.
- Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM00, -0.59%) gained 53 points, or 0.1%, landing at 38064.
- Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ00, -1.09%) dipped by 22 points, or 0.1%, settling at 17001.
In the previous session, on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 21 points, or 0.05%, closing at 37690. The S&P 500 declined 14 points, or 0.28%, to 4770, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 84 points, or 0.56%, closing at 15011.
Factors influencing the market:
Stock index futures hinted at a struggle for U.S. equities in the first trading session of the year. Concerns arose from soft data from China, indicating a slowdown in the country’s economic recovery. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped 1.5%, and the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.4% following a report showing China’s factory activity in December at its slowest pace in six months.
Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, noted, “The PMI figures indicate a slowdown in China’s economic recovery in the last months of the year,” anticipating pressure on policymakers to take urgent action.
Additionally, geopolitical tensions heightened as Iran announced sending a warship to the Red Sea, responding to the sinking of Tehran-backed Houthi militia boats by the U.S. navy. Brent crude rose 1.5% to surpass $78 a barrel, raising concerns about potential inflationary pressures from higher energy costs.
The move also contributed to a 6.4 basis point increase in 10-year Treasury yields, reaching 3.994% on Tuesday. This followed a sharp fall in yields in recent months, driven by hopes that easing inflation would prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.
Looking ahead, potential market catalysts include the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for December and the upcoming fourth-quarter corporate earnings reporting season. Despite these uncertainties, many analysts remain optimistic about bond markets supporting stocks, setting the stage for further gains in the market.
Economic updates scheduled for release on Tuesday include the S&P manufacturing purchasing managers’ index for December at 9:45 a.m. Eastern, and November construction spending at 10 a.m.
