U.S. index futures are mixed in pre-market trading this Tuesday, with the Dow Jones aiming to break a six-day losing streak.
At 6:26 AM, the Dow Jones futures (DOWI:DJI) were up 65 points, or 0.17%. The S&P 500 futures fell -0.26%, and the Nasdaq-100 futures lost -0.39%. The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.649%.
In the commodities market, West Texas Intermediate crude for May fell 0.30% to $85.15 per barrel. Brent crude for June fell 0.23%, near $89.89 per barrel. Iron ore traded on the Dalian exchange fell 1.49%, to $114.10 per metric ton.
On the U.S. economic agenda for Tuesday, the day begins at 8:30 AM with the report on housing starts. At 9:15 AM, it will be time for industrial production. Later, at 1:15 PM, Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, will participate in a debate focused on economic trends in North America, an event that will surely draw the attention of investors and analysts. Finally, at 4:30 PM, attention will turn to the weekly oil stocks, released by the American Petroleum Institute (API).
European markets face significant drops today, influenced by concerns about tensions in the Middle East, especially after a significant attack by Iran against Israel. The geopolitical situation in the region remains tense, with Israel promising retaliation for the attack, although signaling a strategically calculated response. International allies have called for restraint, warning that the conflict could quickly escalate into a broader war. Meanwhile, the European economy shows mixed signs: in the United Kingdom, the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, up from 3.9% last year. However, wage growth, excluding bonuses, exceeded expectations, registering an increase of 6%, which may bring some hope amid economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
Asian markets recorded a sharp decline today, reflecting the ongoing instability in the Middle East and reacting to a set of mixed economic data from China. The main stock exchanges in the region closed in the red: Shanghai SE in China fell 1.65%, Nikkei in Japan retreated 1.94%, Hang Seng in Hong Kong had a drop of 2.12%, while the Kospi in South Korea led the losses with 2.28% and the ASX 200 in Australia depreciated by 1.81%. There is a growing concern that the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could boost oil prices, intensify inflation, and complicate the plans of major central banks to cut interest rates.
U.S. stocks had another day of decline on Monday. Despite a promising start, the major indexes fell during the session, with the Nasdaq leading the descent. The Dow Jones fell 0.65%, the S&P 500 1.20%, and the Nasdaq 1.79%. The positive results from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and the growth in retail sales were unable to sustain optimism, with Treasury yields rising and concerns about interest rates weighing on sentiment.
On the quarterly earnings front, reports are scheduled to be presented before trading begins from Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), BNY Mellon (NYSE:BK), PNC Financial (NYSE:PNC), Mercantile Bank Corp (NASDAQ:MBWM), Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS), Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), among others.
After the close, numbers will be awaited from United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL), JB Hunt (NASDAQ:JBHT), Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ:IBKR), Ontrak Health (NASDAQ:OTRK), Hancock Whitney (NASDAQ:HWC), Equity Bancshares (NASDAQ:EQBK), Fulton Financial (NASDAQ:FULT), America Movil (NYSE:AMX), Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC), and more.