Traders and financial professionals work during the opening bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), May 14, 2019 in New York City.
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
Stock futures traded higher on early Tuesday morning after Wall Street suffered massive losses on Monday amid concerns over the economic blow from the coronavirus outbreak.
As of 12:55 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 800 points higher, returning to their “limit up” level. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were also higher.
Those moves came after President Donald Trump tweeted: “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!”
Earlier in the session, futures contracts tied to the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq 100 hit their upside limit, triggering a halt. In non-U.S. trading hours, stock futures are halted if they hit their downside or upside limits, pinning those contracts to their upper or lower bounds. The halt is meant to ensure that opening trade is orderly and not emotional.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 had their worst day since the “Black Monday” crash of 1987, falling 12.9% and 12%, respectively. It was also the Dow’s third-worst day ever. The Nasdaq Composite had its biggest one-day plunge ever, tumbling 12.3%.
Trading halts typically occur amid extremely abnormal market volatility.
The Cboe Volatility Index — Wall Street’s preferred fear gauge — posted its highest-ever close at 82.69. That tops the financial crisis’ peak of 80.74.
Wall Street’s drop came even after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to near-zero on Sunday and announced a $750 billion asset-purchasing program. It also came as the number of coronavirus cases jumped in the U.S.
At least 4,281 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. along with more than 70 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. President Donald Trump also said the crisis could stretch into August, adding the administration may look at locking down “certain areas.”
“Although the contemporary crisis is loaded with bad news, this has not been its primary problem. It’s the ‘unknown,'” said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at The Leuthold Group, in a note. “Not even health experts understand what this is or where it is headed, and that is the worst possible outcome for investors.”
“Give me bad news any day over complete uncertainty,” he said.
The S&P 500 closed Monday at its lowest level since December 2018. The Dow ended the session at its levels not seen since early 2017.
“For now until there is improvement in the trend … it’s tough to consider being long and it’s right to be in Cash on the sidelines,” Mark Newton, managing member at Newton Advisors, said in a note to clients.
— CNBC’s Thomas Franck and Eustance Huang contributed to this report.
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