U.S. stock index futures held steady Monday evening after Wall Street closed higher, with the Nasdaq reaching a new record high on optimism over a possible Federal Reserve rate cut next week.
S&P 500 Futures rose 0.1% to 6,510.25, Dow Jones Futures gained 0.1% to 45,618.0, while Nasdaq 100 Futures stayed flat at 23,810.0 by 20:07 ET (00:07 GMT). Earlier, the S&P 500 added 0.2% and the Dow closed 0.3% higher. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.5%, setting a fresh record close.
The rally was fueled by semiconductor stocks, particularly Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), which surged after posting stronger-than-expected earnings. Investor sentiment was also boosted by growing expectations of monetary easing from the Fed. Weak U.S. labor data showed nonfarm payrolls increased by only 22,000 in August, far below forecasts, while unemployment rose to 4.3%, its highest in over a year.
Traders now fully price in a 25 basis point Fed rate cut at the September meeting, with odds of a larger 50 basis point reduction also increasing, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
Markets are eyeing Thursday’s key inflation data, with both consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) reports due. Analysts expect CPI to show inflationary effects from recent tariffs imposed under former President Trump, which took effect last month.
On the corporate front, GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) will report second-quarter results Tuesday after market close, while Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) releases fiscal Q1 earnings. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will host its “Awe Dropping” event on September 9 at Apple Park, expected to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, a slim “Air” edition, new Apple Watch models, and third-generation AirPods Pro.