Markets Brace for Geopolitical Shifts Ahead

U.S. stock futures are mostly lower in premarket trading after the S&P 500 hit another all-time intra-day high on Friday, with traders set to wrap up a strong 2025. The three major indices are coming off of gains of over 1% in last week’s holiday-shortened sessions.

The benchmark S&P 500 is up nearly 18% in 2025 and settled just below its record high close on Friday on fractional losses. Wall Street is in the Santa Claus rally period, a historically strong time for the stock market. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged a gain of more than 1% between the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.

With no earnings due this week, investor focus will be on Housing data along with the FOMC minutes on Wednesday afternoon.

Snapshot (as of 7 AM ET)

• Oil (/CL) – Oil prices are up 2% near $58 a barrel as investors weighed talks between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents on a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine against potential oil supply disruption in the Middle East.
• Gold (/GC) – Gold futures are down nearly 2% near $4470 after hitting all-time highs again on Friday, while silver (/SI) also rallied to a fresh peak overnight before falling. Silver retreated after touching a record peak above $80 an ounce while gold slipped from levels close to historic highs on Monday as investors booked profits and a market perception of reduced geopolitical risks curbed safe-haven buying.
• Bitcoin (/BTC) – The Crypto Future is relatively flat near 88,000 in premarket trading.
• VIX – The CBOE Volatility Index was up nearly 1% on Friday and settled at 13.60 as stocks were flat. The VIX remains near 12-month lows as stocks are close to record highs.
• U.S. Dollar (/DX) – The dollar is higher by 0.15% at 98.16.

Biggest Premarket Movers (as of 7 AM ET)

1. Devon Energy (DVN): +1.07%
2. Exxon Mobil (XOM): +0.83%
3. Baker Hughes (BKR): +0.77%
4. Chevron (CVX):+0.65%
5. Occidental Petroleum (OXY): +0.53%
6. Newmont Corp (NEW): -2.63%
7. Albemarle (ALB): -2.15%
8. Oracle (ORCL): -1.86%
9. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): -1.40%
10. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): -1.37%

Economic Data

• 8:30 AM ET: Intl. Trade in Goods, Retail/Wholesale Inventories
• 10:00 AM ET: Pending Home Sales
• 10:30 AM ET: Dallas Fed Mfg. Survey
• 12:00 PM ET: Natural Gas Report

Notable Earnings

• Premarket: None
• Postmarket: None
• Premarket Tomorrow: None
• Postmarket Tomorrow: None

Upgrades/Downgrades

• No reported upgrades or downgrades today.

This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a personalized recommendation or investment advice. Investors should review investment strategies for their own particular situations before making any decisions.

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Data contained herein is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. All events and times listed are subject to change without notice.