Wall Street’s main indexes were set for a flat open on Monday, with focus on a slew of economic data this week, while Intel shares rose after its CEO retired following its struggles to keep up in the market for AI chips.
This week’s centerpiece would be the November nonfarm payrolls report due on Friday, a key metric in also gauging the state of the labor market.
Traders currently see a more than 65% chance of the Fed opting for a 25-basis-point rate cut when it meets later this month, compared to a near 83% chance seen a month prior, as per CME’s FedWatch Tool, on the back of data pointing to a resilient economy.
An October jobs opening reading is slated to be released on Tuesday, while November private payrolls data is due on Wednesday.
The benchmark S&P 500 .SPX and the blue-chip Dow .DJI clocked all-time closing highs on Friday, and recorded their best month in a year, capping off a stellar November for U.S. equities.
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“Investors are questioning themselves if they (should) be adding to their exposure to the markets now because they have been so less bullish and if they should chase it at this point,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
Investors relished in U.S. stocks last month after Republican candidate Donald Trump recaptured the White House along with his party sweeping both houses of Congress.
Analysts expect Trump’s policies on tax cuts, tariffs and deregulation could spur greater corporate performance. However, concerns that his policies could bump up inflation have also led to markets dialing back hopes of the Fed ramping up its rate easing cycle.
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The week is also packed with data that could indicate how the economy is faring, including multiple surveys of economic activity for the last month.
November manufacturing activity surveys from S&P Global and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) are due later in the day.
Numerous Fed speakers will also make public appearances this week including Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with investors hunting for any clues on the central bank’s policy path.
Comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller and New York Fed President John Williams would be on the radar later in the day.
At 8:33 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis 1YMcv1 were down 26 points, or 0.06%, S&P 500 E-minis EScv1 were down 1 points, or 0.02%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis NQcv1 were up 31.25 points, or 0.15%.
Intel INTC.O jumped 5.8% after the chipmaker announced CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement.
Most megacap and growth stocks were flat-to-higher in premarket trading, with Tesla TSLA.O leading gains, up 2.1%, after brokerage Stifel raised its target price on the stock to $411 from $287.
Among other movers, PTC Therapeutics PTCT.O jumped 18.5% after the drugmaker signed an up to $2.9 billion licensing deal with Novartis AG NOVN.S for its experimental drug for a rare neurological disorder.
Software firm Cloudflare NET.N gained 4% after Morgan Stanley raised its rating to “overweight” from “equal-weight” on the stock.
Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel
