Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, United States, October 16, 2025.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
Stock futures rose Monday as investors turn their attention to a slew of big-name earnings reports and inflation data expected in the coming days.
Futures contracts linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 94 points, or 0.2%. S&P Futures gained 0.3%, while Nasdaq-100 Futures Contracts advanced 0.4%.
A Wall Street Journal report that President Donald Trump in recent weeks exempted dozens of products from reciprocal tariffs helped start the week. The report added that the administration is considering exempting hundreds of additional goods, reflecting a growing sentiment among administration officials that the United States should reduce tariffs on certain goods that are not produced domestically.
Stocks are emerging from a volatile week of trading, ultimately closing higher despite growing tensions between the United States and China, a selloff triggered by losses at regional banks and the decline of some high-flying artificial intelligence names. A strong start to the third-quarter earnings season appears to be improving sentiment, alongside investors’ expectations of another quarter-percentage-point rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s meeting in late October.
All three major U.S. indexes rose slightly on Friday after Trump expressed optimism about a possible trade deal with China ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Friday that he believed “things have calmed down” with China and that he would likely meet with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng, in the coming week. These comments suggest to traders that Trump’s threat to impose additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting November 1 may not come true.
THE Cboe Volatility Index had jumped to a high above 28 at one point Friday before falling below 21 as stocks rose. On Monday, the Vix was trading around 20.
“Despite (Friday’s) modest rebound in U.S. stocks, risk assets reflect increased geopolitical uncertainty, particularly regarding the U.S.-China relationship,” Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust, said in a note to clients. Nixon added that “the dispute presents significant economic risks for both sides, so the stakes are high in reaching some sort of acceptable compromise.”
Investors last week also tried to move past concerns about credit risks that sparked a broader rout on Thursday. The market panicked after Zions and Western Alliance revealed problems with bad loans, sending shares of several financial heavyweights and regional banks lower before rebounding on Friday.
Separately, investors continue to monitor the U.S. government shutdown, which enters its fourth week as top Democrats and Republicans remain locked in a dispute over federal health care subsidies.
This week, several major companies are expected to release their quarterly results. Netflix, Coca-Cola, Tesla And Intel are among the names on deck. The September consumer price index is also due to be released on Friday and is expected to show that inflation remains high. Traders will pay close attention to the report, given the ongoing data outage caused by the shutdown.
“Investors don’t seem happy so far, but many economists are concerned that a prolonged shutdown could impact quarterly GDP growth,” Nixon said. “Most recognize, however, that this would represent a temporary slowdown that would likely be followed by a period of catch-up.”
