US stock futures rose on Wednesday amid hopes for interest-rate cuts, with more Wall Street banks leading out the next wave of reports in a promising start to earnings season.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) moved up roughly 0.5%, following a rocky session on Tuesday for markets. Meanwhile, contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) and tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) added 0.7% and 0.9%, respectively
A solid start to earnings season is buoying market spirits in the face of US-China trade friction and a US government shutdown with no end in sight.
Before the bell, Bank of America (BAC) posted a 23% jump in profit, becoming the latest big US bank to benefit from this summer’s bonanza of big deals on Wall Street. Reports from PNC Financial (PNC) and Abbott Laboratories (ABT) are also on the morning docket. Earlier, surprise beats from ASML (ASML, ASML.AS) and LVMH (MC.PA, LVMUY) helped lift those stocks.
Meanwhile, comments from Jerome Powell also provided a boost. The Federal Reserve Chair said Wednesday that “downside risks to employment appear to have risen,” implying more rate cuts are on the cards. Investors closely scrutinized Powell’s remarks, given the current lack of insight into the economy as the federal stoppage delays the release of key data.
Investors have cemented bets on a rate cut later this month, and odds of a rate cut in December have jumped in recent days to around 95%.
The US-China trade tensions that have unsettled markets continued to bubble, after President Trump said he was considering an embargo on cooking oil from China in response to its cut in purchases of US soybeans. The threat follows China’s fresh sanctions on five US subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha.
At the same time, the Trump administration is preparing for the government shutdown to drag on. A list of federal programs earmarked for cuts is expected this week, and the White House budget office is scrambling to find ways to pay military members and law enforcement.
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