(Bloomberg) -- US stock futures and Treasuries declined as trading resumed after the Christmas holiday with investors looking to initial jobless claims data and a government bond auction later on Thursday.
Contracts on the S&P 500 fell 0.4% by 5:52 a.m. in New York and futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 slipped 0.5%. In premarket trading, cryptocurrency-tied stocks like MicroStrategy Inc. and Riot Platforms Inc. declined, tracking a drop in Bitcoin. Most major markets in Europe are still shut for holidays.
Equity bulls are pinning their hopes on what’s known as the “Santa Claus rally” in which stocks rise during the final five trading sessions of a year and the first two of the new one. Driven by optimism about the strength of the US economy and developments in artificial intelligence, the S&P 500 is set for its largest jump relative to the rest of the world since 1997. With Trump’s inauguration slated for Jan. 20, investors are awaiting insights on his proposed policies, including tax cuts and tariffs.
Treasury 10-year yields climbed two basis points to 4.61% before the US auctions $44 billion of seven-year notes on Thursday. The dollar was broadly steady against its Group-of-10 peers.
The S&P 500 closed 1.1% higher on Tuesday, extending this year’s advance to 27%. The Nasdaq 100 added 1.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.9%. Oil held gains after an advance before the Christmas break, with China’s stimulus measures and the outlook for US stockpiles in focus.
In Asia, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed for a fourth day, the longest winning streak since September, led by Japan and Taiwan. Japanese shares also rose after central bank governor Kazuo Ueda on Wednesday avoided giving any clues about a possible interest-rate hike.
“Weakness in the yen on the back of recent Fed-BOJ policy divergence has offered some support for Japanese equities in today’s session, coupled with the year-end positive seasonality around the Santa Claus rally,” said Jun Rong Yeap, a market strategist at IG Asia Pte in Singapore.
Japanese retail shares gained after the country agreed with China to introduce more measures to promote tourist visits. The two nations also agreed that Beijing’s top diplomat should visit Japan in 2025, adding to signs the two nations are repairing ties that have been strained in recent years.
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Shares of Chinese computing-equipment makers advanced after the nation said it planned to include the sector into the investment scope of local government special bonds. Kingsignal Technology Co. surged as much as 20% as did Broadex Technologies Co.
Key events this week:
- US initial jobless claims, Thursday
- Boxing Day, Thursday
- Japan Tokyo CPI, unemployment, industrial production, retail sales, Friday
- US goods trade, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
- S&P 500 futures fell 0.4% as of 6:12 a.m. New York time
- Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.4%
- Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4%
- The MSCI World Index was little changed
Currencies
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
- The euro was little changed at $1.0400
- The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.2531
- The Japanese yen fell 0.1% to 157.51 per dollar
Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin fell 2.9% to $95,604.25
- Ether fell 2.8% to $3,368.58
Bonds
- The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced three basis points to 4.61%
- Germany’s 10-year yield was unchanged at 2.32%
- Britain’s 10-year yield was unchanged at 4.58%
Commodities
- West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.6% to $70.53 a barrel
- Spot gold rose 0.4% to $2,628.58 an ounce
This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
--With assistance from Rita Nazareth and Winnie Hsu.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.