U.S. stock futures ticked down Tuesday, suggesting that the major indexes may pause after closing at record highs.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 edged 0.2% lower, after the benchmark gauge posted its eighth all-time closing high of 2021 on Monday. Futures for the technology-focused Nasdaq-100 index also slipped almost 0.2% and contracts for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2%.
Investors said markets are taking a breather following a broad advance in stocks and commodities. The recent rally has been fueled by expectations of a new dose of stimulus spending in the U.S., which could add impetus to the economic revival. That has helped pare expectations for turbulence in U.S. stocks, sending the Cboe Volatility Index down this week to less than 22, after the gauge surged to over 37 at the end of January.
“Very small downsized moves are a symptom of low volatility,” said Trevor Greetham, head of multiasset at U.K. investment firm Royal London Asset management. “Low and falling volatility is a bull market phenomenon. You do get quiet days.”
Expectations that the economy will revive this year have prompted money managers to bet stocks will continue to power higher, driven by sectors such as energy, banks and consumer companies that are sensitive to growth.
U.S. stock futures climbed Monday, suggesting that the major benchmarks will recover some ground following their worst week since October.
S&P 500 futures rose 0.7% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures strengthened 0.6%. Contracts linked to the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index gained 0.7%. Changes in futures don’t necessarily predict moves after the markets open.
Silver futures rose over 11% from Friday’s close, fueled by a wave of fresh enthusiasm from online traders. Silver has rallied in recent trading sessions after users on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum posted about executing a “short squeeze” similar to ones credited with fueling recent gains in other stocks popular on the internet.
Elsewhere in commodities, international benchmark Brent crude rose 1.1% to $55.63 a barrel. Gold also gained 0.8% to $1,866.00 a troy ounce.
Overseas, the Stoxx Europe 600 climbed 0.9% shortly after the market opened. Industrials and energy sectors led gains while the real-estate sector lost ground. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4%.
The Swiss franc was mostly flat against the U.S. dollar, with one franc buying $1.12. The euro fell 0.1% against the dollar, with 1 euro buying $1.21. The British pound was up 0.1% against the U.S. dollar, with 1 pound buying $1.37.
German 10-year bund yields declined to minus 0.518% from minus 0.515% and the 10-year gilts yield was down to 0.323% from 0.329%. 10-year U.S. Treasury yields rose to 1.082% from 1.064%. Yields move inversely to prices.
Indexes in Asia mostly climbed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 2.2%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index advanced 1.6%, and China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite climbed 0.6%.
GameStop and other stocks and assets have been volatile as online investors make big bets on Reddit forums.
Photo:
Andre M. Chang/Zuma Press
—An artificial-intelligence tool was used in creating this article.
Here’s what we’re watching ahead of Wednesday’s opening bell.
—U.S. stock futures slipped, as investors awaited a bumper day of major earnings reports and a meeting of the Federal Reserve.
S&P 500 futures were down 1.1%, while futures tied to the technology-heavy Nasdaq-100 edged down 0.7%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 1.1%.
What’s Coming Up
—Earnings updates expected:
Tesla,
TSLA -0.71%
Apple
AAPL -0.22%
and
Facebook
FB -2.39%
are due after the close. The electric-car maker is expected to record its first full-year profit.
The Federal Reserve releases a policy statement at 2 p.m. and Chairman Jerome Powell holds a press conference at 2:30 p.m.
Market Movers to Watch
—And then there’s GameStop. Its stock popped again ahead of the bell, soaring 73% in wildly volatile trading. CNBC reported that Melvin Capital, a hedge fund that has posted big losses so far this year in part because of a wager against the videogame retailer’s stock, had closed out its short position on Tuesday afternoon. The report caused a stir on the online platform Reddit—popular among day traders waging a battle against hedge-fund short-sellers—where some members wrote that it was an attempt to pull
GameStop
GME 109.79%
‘s share price back down. And
Elon Musk
weighed in on the stock again last night with a tweet, “Gamestonk!!“
—The show must go on: Another heavily shorted stock, movie-theater operator
AMC Entertainment Holdings,
AMC 133.87%
saw its shares vault more than 350% higher premarket.
—Headphone maker
Koss
KOSS 72.20%
has also joined the party, and its shares jumped 109% premarket.
—
Bed Bath & Beyond
BBBY 28.21%
resumed its upward trajectory, up 20% ahead of the bell. Online traders point to an early 2020 change in management and the fact that the company is buying back shares as signs that the share price will continue to increase.
—
Microsoft
MSFT 1.44%
shares are up 2.1% premarket. The software giant’s profit and sales jumped, propelled by pandemic-fueled demand for videogaming and accelerated adoption of its cloud-computing services.
—
Boeing
BA -4.46%
shares fell 3.3% premarket after the plane maker reported its biggest-ever annual loss and took a huge financial hit on its new 777X jetliner, reflecting the pandemic’s worsening toll.
—
Abbott Laboratories
ABT 1.12%
shares added 1.5% premarket after it logged hearty profit growth in the latest quarter as a surge in demand for its Covid-19 diagnostics services contributed to higher revenue.
—
Starbucks
SBUX -5.30%
slipped 3% premarket after the coffee chain reported that sales fell during the holiday quarter but showed signs of recovery, particularly in China. Its operating chief
Roz Brewer
is leaving to become CEO of
Walgreens
WBA 6.21%
Boots Alliance, where she’ll be the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company. Walgreens shares climbed 5%.
A Walgreens store in Tomball, Texas, Jan. 16, 2021.
Photo:
Jeff Lautenberger for The Wall Street Journal
—
AT&T
T -1.11%
shares slipped 1.3% premarket after it reported a fourth-quarter loss as it booked a $15.5 billion charge on its pay-TV business.
—Chip maker
Texas Instruments
TXN -2.81%
‘s shares slipped 1.7% premarket even though quarterly results and outlook both topped Wall Street estimates after Tuesday’s close.
Market Fact
Retail order flows have reached 20% of the U.S. stock market’s total, according to
UBS
research, twice what they were in 2010.
Chart of the Day
GameStop shares have become a favorite of online traders who are seeking to make money from buying options.
Must Reads Since You Went to Bed
Online Traders Helped Some Unlikely Stocks Soar
Jack Ma’s Ant Plans Major Revamp in Response to Chinese Pressure
Renewed Demand for Treasurys Quells Fears of Rising Rates—for Now
Goldman CEO David Solomon Takes $10 Million Pay Cut for 1MDB Scandal
Biden’s Candidate for SEC Chairman Is Expected to Be Tough