Stock futures trading higher before first opening bell of 2021
US equities began Monday trading in negative territory before picking up steam
U.S. equity futures turned higher after trading in negative territory earlier Monday ahead of the first opening bell of 2021 on Wall Street.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 43870.35 | +461.88 | +1.06% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 5948.71 | +31.60 | +0.53% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 18972.420086 | +6.28 | +0.03% |
On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.6% to a high of 3,756.07 on Thursday, its final trading day of 2020. It ended the year up 16.3%, or a total return of about 18.4% with dividends.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% to a record 30,606.48. The Nasdaq composite added 0.1% to 12,888.28.
STOCK FUTURES TRADE HIGHER AHEAD OF FINAL TRADING DAY OF YEAR
Vaccine development by U.S., European and Chinese producers has helped to buoy investor optimism that a return to normal might be closer after the global economy’s worst decline since the 1930s.
The United States and Britain have approved Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine and Britain approved a second vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University. China has approved its first domestically developed vaccine. Others are being tested.
U.S. equity futures turned higher after trading in negative territory earlier Monday ahead of the first opening bell of 2021 on Wall Street. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Governments might not throw as much stimulus at their economies as they did last year, but policy is “still at a very loose setting,” which supports stock prices and lending, said Kerry Craig of JP Morgan Asset Management in a report.
“Investors should look through the bumpier start to the new economic cycle and focus on the improved earnings outlook,” Craig said.
Optimism about vaccines has outweighed concern about rising infection numbers in the United States and some other countries and conflict over economic aid in Washington, said Stephen Innes of Axi in a report.
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Traders are “perhaps a bit over-eager” but believe vaccines will “provide the ultimate economic kick-start, offering a massive booster shot to corporate profits,” said Innes.
Meanwhile, Asian stock markets also showed gains Monday on 2021’s first trading day, boosted by optimism about coronavirus vaccines after Wall Street ended the year on a new high.
Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Sydney advanced. Tokyo declined.
The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.8% to 3,499.02 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.5% to 27,366.10.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo declined 0.7% to 27,243.14 after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government is considering declaring a state of emergency for the Japanese capital and three surrounding prefectures due to surging virus caseloads.
Suga called on restaurants and bars to close by 8 p.m. and said it would be difficult to restart a travel promotion program that was suspended last month. He said the government would expedite approval of coronavirus vaccines and begin providing injections in February.
The Kospi in Seoul rose 2.4% to 2,943.11 and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 added 1.5% to 6,684.20.
India's Sensex opened up less than 0.1% at 47,923.24. Singapore and Jakarta also advanced while Bangkok declined.
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In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude gained 56 cents to $49.08 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 12 cents on Thursday to $48.52. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 67 cents to $52.47 per barrel in London. It rose 17 cents the previous session to $51.80.
The dollar declined to 103.03 yen from Thursday’s 103.27. The euro rose to $1.2254 from $1.2211.