Dow futures climb as traders weigh rising coronavirus cases, U.S. stimulus talks

U.S. stock futures rose early Monday as the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases continued to climb while lawmakers remain at an impasse over a new stimulus deal. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures implied an opening gain of more than 100 points. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also traded in positive territory.

A CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data showed Covid-19 cases were growing by 5% or more in 38 states as of Friday. Nationwide, the daily case average has risen by more than 16% on a week-over-week basis to nearly 55,000. New coronavirus infections in Europe are rising by about 97,000 per day, up 44% from the prior week.

In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office said Saturday evening that she is giving the Trump administration 48 hours to reach an aid deal before the Nov. 3 election. Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continued their discussions over the weekend. They agreed to speak again on Monday.

The S&P 500 and Dow fell for three straight days last week before closing slightly higher on Friday. The Nasdaq Composite posted its first four-day losing streak since September. On the earnings front, IBM is slated to release its latest quarterly results after the bell on Monday. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak Monday morning.

IMF expects China will be the only major world economy to grow this year, CNBC, Oct 19