U.S. stock futures displayed minimal movement on Sunday night following a week of gains, with traders focusing on upcoming events like the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision and May’s inflation data. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures experienced a slight decline, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures remained steady.
Last week saw a positive trend on Wall Street, marked by record intraday highs for the S&P 500 and notable gains across major averages.
The S&P 500 surged by 1.32%, the Dow Jones registered a 0.29% increase, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed by 2.38%. Noteworthy was Nvidia’s impressive 10% advance, propelling the chipmaker’s market capitalization beyond $3 trillion for the first time.
Attention now turns to the Federal Reserve’s forthcoming rate decision and May’s consumer price index, scheduled for Wednesday, which could present significant challenges for the markets. The recent robust jobs report has reinforced speculation that the central bank might postpone rate cuts.
Investors eagerly await the Fed’s updated projections on rate adjustments, with current market expectations pointing towards a single rate cut in November, as indicated by the CME FedWatch tool.
Macquarie’s David Doyle highlighted the mixed implications for Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy, citing rising unemployment as a dovish factor, yet emphasizing the strength in labor demand growth as a hawkish element. Additionally, Monday will see investors monitoring Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference for anticipated software announcements.
Looking ahead to May’s consumer price index release, economists predict a 3.4% year-over-year increase and a marginal 0.1% monthly rise, compared to the prior reading’s 3.4% and 0.3% increases, respectively. Core CPI, excluding volatile food and energy prices, is anticipated to show a 3.5% year-over-year gain and a 0.3% monthly increase, aligning closely with previous figures.
Despite expectations and developments, Sunday night’s stock futures exhibited minimal fluctuations, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures edging up by 13 points, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures remained unchanged, setting the stage for a potentially nuanced market response to the upcoming economic indicators and policy decisions.
