FactSet U.S. Daily Market Preview

StreetAccount Out Loud US Market Preview is our daily podcast aiming to bring listeners up to speed on recent Financial market news as quickly as possible. With a target time of ~5 minutes and a publish time of ~5:00 ET, this is an ideal listen prior to market open. 

US equity futures are pointing modestly lower, with Asian markets sharply weaker and European equities trading mixed. AI-related disruption fears remained the dominant market theme. Investors rotated further into defensive sectors as volatility picked up and the VIX moved above 20. Economic data showed weekly jobless claims broadly in line, continuing claims slightly higher, and existing home sales falling sharply month over month despite some improvement in affordability. Treasury auctions drew strong demand at the long end following earlier mixed results. Market attention now turns to January CPI, with expectations centered on a modest monthly increase in both headline and core inflation. Market has pared back Fed rate cut expectations to July move versus June.Companies Mentioned: Humana, Sumitomo Forestry, Tri Pointe Homes, OpenAI, DeepSeek

US equity futures are pointing modestly higher, with Asian markets mostly firmer and European equities trading broadly higher. A stronger-than-expected payrolls report was the central driver, reinforcing resilience in the labor market and prompting a backup in yields while tempering expectations for near-term rate cuts. Market leadership remained highly dispersed, with semiconductors and memory stocks outperforming even as broader software renewed its weakness amid ongoing AI-related scrutiny and hyperscaler capex concerns. Big tech lagged overall, and the rotation into cyclicals appeared more selective rather than broad-based. Geopolitical tensions, including heightened focus on Iran, supported crude prices, while trade uncertainty and deficit dynamics also remained in the backdrop ahead of upcoming inflation data.Companies Mentioned: Microsoft, Strategy, Baidu, Knowledge Atlas Technology

US equity futures are higher, following Tuesday's mixed performance. Bonds mixed. US 10-year yield steady at 4.1% after notable drop in prior session after soft US retail sales. Gilts 2 bps lower. Dollar weaker, with biggest move versus yen. Oil gains, gold higher. Industrial metals gain. Bitcoin lower. Asia equities buoyed again by another positive finish on Wall Street overnight with the added tailwind of a weaker dollar/higher regional currencies. Several prominent Asia currencies are strengthening, among them we see the yen, almost 1% stronger on little fresh newsflow, the AUD on hawkish RBA comments, and the offshore yuan, which advanced to a near three-year high. Companies Mentioned: Warner Bros, Discovery, Netflix, Mattel, ConocoPhilips

S&P futures are pointing to a slightly higher open today. Asian markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei climbed +2.4% to a record high for the second consecutive session, driven by a post-election rally and a +10% gain in Softbank. South Korea and Taiwan also posted gains, supported by optimism over potential tariff reprieves. European markets are narrowly mixed in early trading. Companies Mentioned: Clear Channel Outdoor, Stripe

S&P futures are pointing to a slightly higher open today. Asian markets rallied Monday, driven by a risk-on sentiment following Japan’s general election outcomes and Friday’s tech-driven bounce on the Nasdaq. The Nikkei surged +3.9%, with Takaichi trade sectors leading the charge. Hong Kong, Mainland China, and South Korea also posted strong gains. European markets are also firmer in early trading with industrial and tech sectors leading the gains. Companies Mentioned: Intel, Netflix, Kroger

US equity futures are modestly lower though paring most of earlier losses, with Asian markets mostly lower and European equities trading softer. US markets were driven by renewed downside pressure in growth and technology. Weak US labor market signals took center stage, as job openings fell to their lowest level since 2020 and layoffs surged to the highest January reading since the global financial crisis, triggering a pronounced rally in Treasuries and reinforcing curve steepening dynamics. The risk-off backdrop spilled into crypto and precious metals, with Bitcoin posting its sharpest drop since late 2022 and silver seeing an outsized decline. Meanwhile, investors continued to reassess positioning as elevated volatility, softer economic data and crowded trades weighed on sentiment, despite relative resilience in select defensive and rate-sensitive sectors.Companies Mentioned: Boeing, Apple, Lukoil, Chevron Carlyle

US equity futures are pointing modestly higher after a mixed Wednesday close, with Asian markets broadly lower and European equities trading mostly weaker. Technology and AI concentration risk remained the dominant theme. Investors continued rotating toward cyclical sectors. More volatility seen in precious metal prices overnight. Geopolitical risk stayed elevated as headlines around renewed US-Iran nuclear talks drove sharp volatility in energy and precious metals markets, while attention also turned to upcoming large-cap technology earnings later in the week.Companies Mentioned: SpaceX, Nvidia, Bytedance, KKR

S&P futures are pointing to a slightly higher open today ahead of a busy earnings slate. Asian markets ended mixed on Wednesday. Japan’s Nikkei underperformed due to a selloff in software names on AI disruption fears. The Hang Seng was flat while the Shanghai Composite was higher on stronger-than-expected services PMI data. European benchmarks are flat or slightly higher in early trading.Companies Mentioned: NVIDIA, Texas Instruments, Ford, OpenAI

S&P futures is up +0.3% and pointing to a higher open today. Asian markets rallied sharply on Tuesday, with the Kospi surging +6.8%, its largest gain in over three years, and Japan's Nikkei advancing +3.9%. Hong Kong lagged due to rumors of higher taxes on internet firms. European markets are trading firmer. Positive sentiment follows Monday's gains and optimism around German fiscal stimulus. Companies Mentioned: AES Corp, OpenAI

US equity futures is under pressure with S&P lower. Bonds firmer, which sees US 10-year yield down 4 bps at 4.2%. Dollar is easier versus yen, firmer elsewhere with biggest move against Aussie. Gold is selling off sharply, leaving it 20% below Thursday's record high level. Oil down more than 5%. Industrial metals broadly lower. Bitcoin is weaker. Commodity volatility is the big market-moving story as gold and silver tumble, extending Friday's plunge, where gold experienced its biggest daily drop in decades and silver suffered record decline. Dollar's rebound on Kevin Warsh's nomination as Fed chair is mentioned as downside catalyst though magnitude of selloff has brought more focus on very crowded longs and speculative froth being fueled in part by Chinese traders. Moves being made to curb frenzy with CME sharply raising gold and silver margins while some Chinese banks hiked minimum investment amount for gold accumulation services.Companies Mentioned: NCC, Nvidia, Ford Motor, Xiaomi

US equity futures are weaker following a mixed Thursday close, with Asian markets broadly lower and European equities trading firmer. Markets remain focused on mounting speculation that President Trump will name former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, a development seen as hawkish and prompting a rebound in the dollar, higher yields, and pressure on risk assets and precious metals. US equities saw downside concentrated in technology, with Microsoft weighing on sentiment after earnings, partially offset by strength in Meta, while broader cyclicals and energy outperformed amid rising geopolitical risk tied to Iran. Attention is also on earnings momentum, and on macro signals that continue to support a resilient-growth narrative despite elevated volatility and shifting Fed rate-cut expectations.Companies Mentioned: SpaceX, xAI, Tesla, CK Hutchison Holdings, Meta Platforms

US equity futures point to a firmer open, with Asian markets ended mixed and European equities trading solidly firmer. Markets remained in wait-and-see mode following the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep policy rates unchanged, with two dovish dissents but Chair Powell signaling the Fed is likely to stay on hold for an extended period as inflation remains elevated and labor market conditions show signs of stabilization. Attention is shifting to upcoming Big Tech earnings, with a particular focus on cloud growth and capital expenditure guidance, after recent AI-related optimism lifted semiconductor stocks but failed to generate sustained broader market upside. The US dollar drew renewed scrutiny after Treasury Secretary Bessent reiterated support for a strong dollar policy, partially reversing the previous session’s sharp decline, while escalating tensions with Iran continued to underpin strength in energy and precious metals markets.Companies Mentioned: NVIDIA, OpenAI, Robinhood Markets

S&P futures are up +0.3% and pointing to another higher open today. Asian equities were mostly higher on Wednesday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged +2.6% to a four-year high, supported by a broad tech rally. South Korea’s Kospi and Taiwan both saw strong gains, with rotation into emerging market assets bolstering sentiment. Gains in Mainland China and Japan were more modest. European markets are trading lower, with the French CAC lagging with a (1.1%) decline driven by weakness in luxury goods. Companies Mentioned: SpaceX, OpenAI, NVIDIA, SK Hynix

S&P futures is up +0.2% and pointing to a higher open today. Asian equities closed broadly higher Tuesday. SK Hynix has emerged as the exclusive supplier of HBM chips for Microsoft's Maia 200 AI chip, driving outsized gains in South Korea’s markets. Japan's Nikkei was also higher on strength in exporters, while the Hang Seng led Greater China market gains. European markets are also higher in early trading. Companies Mentioned: Meta, SK Hynix, Ford, General Motors

US equity futures firmer with S&P pointing slightly up. US two and ten-year yields both down. Dollar is mostly weaker with biggest move versus yen. Oil up. Gold extends to new record high above $5k/oz. Silver above $100. Industrial metals mostly higher. Bitcoin lower. In latest trade developments, President Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canada if it makes deal with China. Trump is unclear on the deal he is referring to, though follows PM Carney's recent visit to China where he and Xi agreed to tariff concessions on China EVs and Canada agricultural products. Market is mostly ignoring Trump's latest tariff threat. Meanwhile, sources said India plans to reduce tariffs on Europe auto imports to 40% from as much as 110%, as part of free trade deal that could be announced as soon as Tuesday. UK PM Starmer is leading a delegation of business leaders in Beijing trip this week to enhance trade relationship.Companies Mentioned: Merck, Revolution Medicines, USA Rare Earth, SoftBank Group

US equity futures point to a firmer open following a higher close on Thursday, with Asian markets mostly higher and European equities trading narrowly firmer. US equities extended gains as risk sentiment continued to improve after President Trump further softened his stance on Greenland, reinforcing the recent de-escalation narrative and supporting cyclicals and small-caps. Market attention remains on US macro momentum and the Federal Reserve outlook, with investors digesting firm labor market signals, resilient consumption trends, and a flatter expected rate-cut path for 2026. Precious metals remained in focus as gold and silver pushed to new highs amid a weaker dollar and continued demand for hedges, while energy prices retreated as geopolitical risk premia eased.Companies Mentioned: CK Hutchison Holdings, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix, Paramount Skydance

US equity futures point to a firmer open following a strong rebound in the prior session, with Asian markets ended mostly higher and European equities trading solidly firmer. Today focus is on improving risk sentiment after President Trump stepped back from the threat of EU tariffs tied to Greenland, easing fears of an immediate US-EU trade escalation and supporting a broad rebound in equities. Markets are also responding to renewed optimism around the AI theme after bullish comments from Nvidia’s CEO on the scale of future infrastructure investment and reports of OpenAI pursuing a large new funding round. Attention remains on the macro and policy backdrop, with investors monitoring upcoming US payrolls data, the timing of a Supreme Court ruling on IEEPA tariffs, and growing debate around the Fed’s rate path as markets price fewer cuts for the year.Companies Mentioned: Alibaba Group, Warner Bros. Discovery, Yelp

S&P futures are up +0.4% and pointing to a higher open today following Tuesday's plunges. Asian equities closed mostly lower on Wednesday, though losses were more contained. Japan was weighed down by financials amid concerns over unrealized JGB losses. Greater China markets performed better, and South Korea’s Kospi also ended higher, driven by tech and semiconductor strength. European markets are trading lower as markets remain cautious due to lingering trade tensions. Companies Mentioned: Energy Fuels, GameStop, Community Health Systems

S&P 500 future is down (1.7%) and Nasdaq 100 future is down (2%) as of now, both pointing to a sharply lower open today, as geopolitical tensions and tariff concerns continue to mount. Asian equities ended mostly lower on Tuesday with Japan leading the declines. European markets also opened broadly lower with major benchmarks down over 1%.Companies Mentioned: Viiv Healthcare, Ardelyx, Rapt Therapeutics, Google