Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat open on Tuesday, with stocks likely to show a lack of direction following the strength seen in the previous session.
Traders may be reluctant to make significant moves amid some uncertainty about the near-term outlook for the markets after the Dow jumped to a record closing high during Monday’s session.
A relatively quiet day on the U.S. economic front may also keep traders on the sidelines ahead of the release of several key reports in the coming days.
Trading on Wednesday may be impacted by reaction to reports on private sector employment, job openings and service sector activity.
However, the highlight of the week is likely to be the release of the Labor Department’s closely watched monthly jobs report on Friday.
The data could impact the outlook for interest rates ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next monetary policy meeting later this month.
While the Fed is likely to leave rates unchanged at its January 27-28 meeting, the central bank is widely expected to cut rates by at least another quarter point in the coming months.
Stocks moved mostly higher during trading on Monday, regaining ground following the slump seen during holiday-interrupted previous week. The major averages all moved to the upside, with the Dow reaching a new record closing high.
The major averages finished the day off their highs of the session but still firmly positive. The Dow jumped 594.79 points or 1.2 percent to 48,977.18, the Nasdaq advanced 160.19 points or 0.7 percent to 23,395.82 and the S&P 500 climbed 43.58 points or 0.6 percent to 6,902.05.
The notable upward move by the Dow partly reflected a sharp increase by shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX), with the energy giant soaring by 5.1 percent.
Chevron, which is one of the leading private oil companies in Venezuela, surged following a U.S. attack on the country that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
The price of crude oil also shot up in reaction to the news, contributing to substantial strength among oil service stocks.
Reflecting the strength in the sector, the Philadelphia Oil Service Index (NASDAQI:OSX) spiked by 5.5 percent amid optimism about potential gains from rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
Gold stocks also saw considerable strength, as the price of the precious metal jumped due to its appeal as a safe haven amid increased geopolitical tensions.
Financial, airline and retail stocks also saw significant strength, while utilities and pharmaceutical stocks moved sharply lower.
On the U.S. economic front, a report released by the Institute for Supply Management showed its reading on U.S. manufacturing activity unexpectedly decreased in the month of December.
The ISM said its manufacturing PMI edged down to 47.9 in December after slipping to 48.2 in November, with a reading below 50 indicating contraction. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 48.3.