U.S. stock futures are trading lower early Monday as traders look forward to a week full of earnings from America’s big-box retailers. The results will reflect the health of the American consumer and provide insights into the future trajectory. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and the S&P 500 (SPX) were down 0.01%, 0.19%, and 0.08%, respectively, at 3:54 a.m. EST on August 18.
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In Friday’s trading session, major indexes closed in negative territory as markets awaited updates from a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the three indexes logged another week of positive gains. The Dow Jones advanced 1.7% for the week, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.
Looking ahead, the Fed will remain in the spotlight this week as policymakers gather for the annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole on August 21. Investors will be watching for signals regarding the direction of interest rates at the September meeting, with chances of a 50-basis-point rate cut gaining momentum.
Additionally, the earnings season takes a fresh turn with big-box retailers reporting this week. Traders await results from Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT), Lowe’s (LOW), and Walmart (WMT).
Meanwhile, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was down, floating near 4.29%. WTI crude oil futures were trending higher, hovering near $62.95 per barrel as of the last check. Additionally, the Gold Spot U.S. dollar price increased to nearly $3,399 per ounce on Monday.
Elsewhere, European stocks opened mixed as traders reacted to the failure to reach a ceasefire deal during the Trump-Putin meeting. Notably, European regional leaders, along with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are traveling to the U.S. to meet with Trump to discuss a peace deal.
Asia-Pacific Markets Traded Higher Today
Asia-Pacific markets traded mostly higher today as investors awaited peace discussions between President Trump and Zelenskyy.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell slightly by 0.02%. In China, the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.85%, while the Shenzhen Component surged 1.61%. Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.77%, and the Topix rose 0.43%.
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