S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
Dow Jones futures gains as traders eyeball US jobs data, corporate earnings
- Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures showed mixed results amid tech sector pressure.
- Strong private ADP payrolls data increased the likelihood of a December Federal Reserve rate hike.
- Markets shift focus toward major corporate earnings reports and upcoming weekly initial jobless claims.
Dow Jones futures advance 0.5% to trade around 53,770 during the European hours on Thursday. Meanwhile, S&P 500 futures decline 0.05% to trade around 7,720 and Nasdaq 100 futures lose 0.69% to trade around 28,360.
US stock futures showed a mixed performance as technology stocks continued to face downward pressure. The decline in tech was driven by concerns over potential tight data center regulations following the Democrats’ decisive victory in the US midterm elections, prompting investors to rotate capital into other market sectors. Meanwhile, the Democratic sweep also triggered a sharp drop in oil prices, reflecting investor hopes for a resolution to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Economic indicators provided a clearer picture of the domestic labor market and service sector. According to the ADP report, US private-sector employment expanded by 86,000 jobs in October, surpassing the forecasted 69,000 additions despite a small downward revision to September’s figures. Concurrently, the ISM Services PMI came in at 54.5, which was slightly below estimates but still indicated steady sector growth. In response to economic conditions, financial markets are increasingly anticipating tighter monetary policy, with the CME FedWatch Tool assigning nearly an 82% probability to a Federal Reserve rate hike in December.
During Wednesday’s regular US trading session, major indexes posted strong gains led by consumer discretionary, financial, and real estate stocks, while energy and industrial shares lagged. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 3.03%, gaining 1,569 points to hit a two-month high, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.58% and 1.44%, respectively. Looking forward, market participants are monitoring corporate earnings reports from companies like ConocoPhillips, Kimberly-Clark, and Airbnb, alongside upcoming labor data, including Thursday’s initial jobless claims and Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report.
Equities rally as US midterm uncertainty eases and yields retreat
Strategists at Deutsche Bank observe that the pattern around US elections is holding once again, with the “2026 midterms” already shaping market behaviour. They highlight that “yesterday the S&P 500 (+1.58%) posted its best day in three months, whilst bond yields fell sharply around the world,” underscoring how fading political uncertainty and the latest run of strong US data have combined to bolster risk sentiment.
