The futures are trading higher on Tuesday after a strong start to the week on Wall Street. Traders were buoyed by positive news on the potential for a trade agreement with China and the potential resolution of the TikTok issue. With Wall Street ready for a deluge of earnings this week, the most important of which come from technology giants in the Magnificent 7, it may remain a task for the momentum-driven rally to keep moving higher. Still, with strong retail participation and new money pouring into the market from overseas, the run to 7000 on the S&P 500 is on and humming.
One scenario is that growth continues more or less as it has for the last 20 years. If so, the current federal fiscal trajectory is unsustainable,
Wall Street is holding steady Thursday as the countdown ticks to an update on the U.S. job market coming Friday that could clear the way for the cuts to interest rates that investors love. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 52 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was flat.
The US dollar steadied on Thursday, as traders weighed signals of a softer labour market and awaited further releases. Job openings fell to a low in July, undershooting expectations, while factory orders dropped for a second consecutive month. These indicators reinforced the view that the economy is cooling, even as attention now shifts to today's ISM Services index, expected at 51, and to Friday's payrolls.
Google's parent company was one of the strongest forces lifting the market and climbed 8.7% after avoiding some of the worst-case scenarios in its antitrust case. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google's search engine but did not force a sale of its Chrome browser. Because Alphabet is one of Wall Street's most valuable companies, its stock movements carry more weight on the S&P 500 and other indexes than the typical company's.
In a move without precedent in modern US history, Trump said on Tuesday evening that Cook was "effective immediately" removed from her position on the Fed's seven-strong governing board over allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook has denied wrongdoing and said she would not resign, setting the stage for a legal battle over whether the president has the authority to fire a Fed governor. The dispute comes as Trump intensifies pressure on the central bank to deliver steep interest rate cuts to support the economy and the jobs market.
Gold prices fell as the US dollar strengthened and Treasury yields rose, retreating within a recent consolidation range. A partial resolution of political uncertainty also influenced prices.
Musk's experience illustrates the challenges entrepreneurs face in politics, where the allure of balanced budgets fails against Washington's short-term incentives.
