FactSet U.S. Daily Market Preview

S&P futures are pointing to a higher open today. Asian equities ended Wednesday trading mixed, with tech-driven gains in China and South Korea offsetting weakness in Japan and Australia. European markets are higher, led by the FTSE100, which is currently up +1.3% on strength in banks, homebuilders, and energy stocks. Companies Mentioned: Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Tesla, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon

S&P futures are down (0.4%) and pointing to another lower open today. Focus is on the nonfarm payrolls and unemployment figures scheduled to release later today. Asian equities ended Tuesday with sharp losses from Japan and Hong Kong. Technology-oriented benchmarks bore the brunt of the selloff, as concerns over AI valuations and weaker regional currencies weighed heavily on sentiment. Australia, India, and Singapore saw more modest declines, while Southeast Asia outperformed slightly but also ended lower. European markets are narrowly mixed. Weakness in technology stocks and defense contractors is offset by slight gains in financials and consumer staples. Companies Mentioned: Nasdaq, Magnum Ice Cream, Generation Bio

US futures edging higher at start of final full trading week of the year. European stocks opened higher and Asian equities are weaker. Treasury yields down 2 bps along curve while JGBs little changed. Dollar is strongest against kiwi after RBNZ governor's comments, while yen firmed against all majors. Crude and gold both higher. Bitcoin strengthening. Europe faces pivotal week as it works on Ukraine peace plans and attempts to reach loan agreement on funding Kyiv's war effort. Ukraine President Zelenskyy reiterated that ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia along current frontlines would be fair, but not Russia's demand for parts of Donetsk and Luhansk that Ukraine still holds. In a bid to reach ceasefire agreement Zelenskyy dropped bid for NATO membership in favor of similar security guarantees from US and European allies.Companies Mentioned: ServiceNow, Intel, SK Telecom

US S&P futures slightly firmer but Nasdaq lower. European opened with modest gains and Asian's broadly higher. Bond yields mixed. US 10-year up 2 bps at 4.2%. Gilts off 1 bps at 4.5% after soft UK data. Dollar slightly firmer versus yen and sterling, softer elsewhere. Oil up. Gold edges higher. Industrial metals mixed. Bitcoin gains. Economists are aligning views with ECB Executive Board member Schnabel that next move in rates is likely to be a hike. Bloomberg survey of economists showed 60% of respondents think the ECB is more likely to raise rates than lower them, which is a meaningful shift from October when only a third shared that outlook. However, rate hikes will not likely come anytime soon with the majority expecting deposit rate to remain at 2% for the next two years. Rationale for extended period of unchanged policy is the improving macro backdrop.Companies Mentioned: Destination XL Group, Citigroup, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Skydance

US equity futures point to a weaker open, with Asian markets mostly lower and European equities trading softer. Today’s focus is the Fed’s 25 bp rate cut, which came with three dissents. Powell emphasized policy is now within the broad neutral range and that the Fed is well positioned to wait, while the balance-sheet decision was viewed as supportive for risk sentiment. Market attention also remains on the ongoing global hawkish shift, with recent ECB commentary reinforcing expectations for the next move to be a rate increase. Moreover, AI remains in focus ahead of updates from Oracle, Broadcom, and OpenAI, alongside continued headlines on power-infrastructure demand. Finally, geopolitical developments are in focus after the US seized a Venezuelan oil tanker and tensions escalated across multiple Asian borders.Companies Mentioned: Ball Corp, Perimeter Solutions, TPG Inc.