U.S. stock index futures rose sharply ahead of Monday’s open, building upon the gains seen in the previous U.S. trading session, and from markets overseas.
Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Dow futures were up 271 points, indicating a higher open of 281 points. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures also indicated a strong start to Monday’s session.
The movements seen in U.S. futures come on the back of a strong finish seen last Friday, and a strong trading session seen in both Europe and Asia on Monday.
In the previous session, the Dow Jones industrial average bounced back, rising over 300 points by Friday’s close.
While this was seen as positive for investors, last week still saw the Dow and S&P 500 end the week down some 5.2 percent each — their worst performance since January 2016. Investors have been on edge as of late over concerns surrounding higher interest rates, therefore moves in the bond market will continue to be of key importance going forward.
Switching focus to Monday’s session, corporate earnings will continue to trickle in during the trading day, with Restaurant Brands International, Brighthouse Financial, and FMC being just a handful of names set to report financial figures.
On the data front, the U.S.’ monthly treasury statement is due out at 2 p.m. ET.
In the political space, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told The Washington Post that the U.S. was willing to talk with North Korea, even as severe sanctions continue to be placed onto the isolated nation. The news outlet went on to add that the plan had surfaced, while Pence was in South Korea, having discussions with its leader, President Moon Jae-in.
Investors will also be awaiting news coming out of the U.S., where President Donald Trump is expected to unveil a $200 billion infrastructure plan. The plan is set to face criticism from Democrats in Congress, who argue that it doesn’t offer as much funding as desired, Reuters reported.
Elsewhere, oil prices posted sharp gains during the first day of the trading week, as markets regained some of their footing across the globe. U.S crude was trading around $60.20 at 5:20 a.m. ET, while Brent futures hovered around $63.70.
No speeches by the U.S. Federal Reserve are scheduled to take place.
