A trader works at his desk on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during the first session of the new year on January 2, 2025, in New York City.
Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images
Stock futures were marginally lower on Thursday night after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 ended a three-day losing streak.
Futures tied to the 30-stock Dow fell 17 points, or less than 0.1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both dipped less than 0.1%.
In extended trading, J.B. Hunt Transport Services slid about 10% after fourth-quarter earnings missed analysts’ expectations. Old Dominion Freight Line stock slipped nearly 2% in sympathy.
The S&P 500 ended Thursday’s regular session 0.21% lower. Apple, which lost 4% in its worst day since August, dragged the Nasdaq Composite 0.89% lower. The Dow lost 68.42 points, or 0.16%. Despite these losses, all three indexes are still on pace to end the week higher.
The year is already off to an uncertain start, with sharp swings in the 10-year Treasury yield just this week, tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration and the Federal Reserve’s unclear path on interest rates, Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
“As a result, we have seen several of the early indicators that are not very favorable … we’ve already set a low this year that undercut the prior December low,” he said. “Historically, whenever we have a low in the first quarter of a new year that has undercut the prior December low, the frequency of a gain is a coin toss — 50%. The average price change was a very slight decline.”
Stovall added that he expects stocks to trade rangebound in the near future until investors receive more clarity on the next market catalyst.
More bank earnings are expected before Friday’s opening bell, including reports from State Street, Citizens Financial, Truist Financial and Regions Financial. Traders will also watch out for the latest building permits and housing starts readings.