Stock futures mildly lower ahead of the kickoff of earnings season

Stock futures were slightly lower in early morning trading on Monday as earnings season kicks off on Wall Street this week. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 59 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both traded below the flatline.

The three major indexes closed at record highs on Friday after a sell-off Thursday as investors worried about a potential slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Friday’s rally brought the averages into the green for the week; the Dow added 0.24% week-to-date, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose about 0.4% in the same period.

Stocks tied to the economic recovery that fell during Thursday’s session logged gains on Friday. Financial names rebounded, with Bank of America and Goldman Sachs both jumping more than 3%. Travel-related stocks also rose; Royal Caribbean popped 3.6%, Wynn Resorts gained close to 2%, and American Airlines and United Airlines both added more than 2%.

The major averages’ record highs come ahead of the start of quarterly earnings reports. S&P 500 companies’ profits are expected to be up 65% from the same quarter a year ago, according to Refinitiv, bouncing back from the worst of the pandemic. The expected surge in profits would be the strongest earnings growth since the fourth quarter of 2009, as stocks recovered from the financial crisis.

Investors also anticipate important data to be released this week, including key readings on inflation on Tuesday and Wednesday, and June retail sales on Friday.

Stock futures mildly lower ahead of the kickoff of earnings season, CNBC, Jul 12