Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on the first day of trading of the new year on Jan. 2, 2025.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
U.S. equity futures were little changed Sunday evening as investors looked forward to jobs data in another shortened trading week.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged lower by 4 points, or 0.04%. S&P 500 futures added 0.03%, and Nasdaq 100 futures inched higher by 0.05%.
On Friday, the major indexes closed higher on the day to cap a shaky week as a “Santa Claus rally” failed to materialize. The Dow ended higher by 339.86 points, or 0.8%, at 42,732.13. The S&P 500 rose 1.26%, at 5,942.47. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.77%, to close at 19,621.68. Each of them still posted a losing week.
Investors are entering another shortened trading week – which will wrap the next of the first five January trading days – on a wobbly note and with lingering concerns about the Federal Reserve’s interest rate projections. The New York Stock Exchange will be closed Thursday to mourn the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Traders will be looking for clues about the strength of the economy and the sturdiness of Fed rate plans. Callie Cox, chief market strategist at Ritholtz Wealth Management, said the week ahead could be another opportunity for traders to recalibrate their expectations.
“Data shows us that unemployment is climbing and people are having a hard time finding jobs. There are cracks in hiring that could re-appear at any time,” she told CNBC. “It’ll be important to watch yields too. The 10-year yield is near a high of 4.6%, and jobs days have rattled bond investors in the past.”
The December jobs report is due out Friday, and will be one of the last key pieces of data before the Fed meeting at the end of this month. Investors are also watching the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) Tuesday and December ADP Employment Survey Wednesday.
“It’s clear that both individual investors and Wall Street have high hopes for 2025,” Cox said. “Americans are unusually confident, CEOs are upbeat and profit growth is expected to be the strongest in years.”
“This is a decent environment for the stock market … But after two years of 20%+ gains, we may be a little spoiled,” she added. “High expectations are going to be a clear, recurring theme of 2025, and we may get our first taste of disappointment as data starts rolling in.”
Constellation Brands, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Delta Air Lines will also report earnings toward the end of the week.