U.S. stock futures were rising on Monday, as the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices advanced, following Friday’s mixed close.
Over the weekend, the U.S. suspended its 13-night airstrike campaign against Iran to allow for diplomacy and assess munitions stocks. In response, a senior Iranian official confirmed Tehran would also halt retaliatory strikes as long as the U.S. pause continues.
Investors are preparing for a critical week as four ‘Magnificent 7’ heavyweights—Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)—report quarterly results, alongside the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) interest rate decision on Wednesday presided over by Chair Kevin Warsh.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.64%, and the two-year bond was at 4.30%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool’s projections show markets pricing a 68.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during July’s meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.95% |
| S&P 500 | 0.96% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 1.63% |
| Russell 2000 | 1.30% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Monday. The SPY was up 0.94% at $745.85, while the QQQ advanced by 1.57% to $695.
Consumer staples, real estate, and materials stocks led Friday’s gains, while information technology shares fell, leaving U.S. markets mixed as the Dow rose over 200 points and chips dragged the Nasdaq down.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | 0.46% | 51,947.25 |
| S&P 500 | 0.050% | 7,411.98 |
| Nasdaq Composite | -0.64% | 24,975.82 |
| Russell 2000 | -0.35% | 2,930.00 |
Mohamed A. El-Erian highlights a complex, “two-speed economy” in the U.S. where the service sector shows resilience while manufacturing faces persistent headwinds.
He emphasizes that the current landscape is defined by “crosscurrents currently affecting the global economy and markets, as well as the still-elusive search for endpoints on key issues.”
Geopolitical frictions and supply chain disruptions are reigniting inflationary pressures, creating a “tug-of-war” between investors who want to brush aside risks and those remaining cautious. Furthermore, heavy capital expenditure in the technology sector is driving up debt issuance, which pushes long-term yields higher.
Regarding Federal Reserve policy, El-Erian expects the central bank to keep interest rates steady to avoid “premature tightening, which could over-adjust the economy,” while staying cautious of second-round inflation risks.
He notes that determining a clear policy trajectory remains difficult, as “defining the ultimate ‘landing zone’ for policy will seem like a moving target, requiring open-mindedness and optionality.”
Meanwhile, U.S. equity markets face ongoing pressure, particularly in tech, as investors scrutinize heavy AI capital expenditures for clear signs of ultimate profitability.
Here’s what investors will be keeping an eye on this week.
Crude Oil WTI futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 6.73% to hover around $83.30 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 0.98% to hover around $4,092.76 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.21% lower at the 101.2590 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 1.17% higher at $65,143.39 per coin over the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed higher on Monday, as India’s Nifty 50, Australia’s ASX 200, South Korea’s Kospi, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, China’s CSI 300, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 indices rose. European markets were also higher in early trade.
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