Expert Insights

Conflicting news from the U.S.-Iran war roiled markets to start off this trading week, with all four major equity index futures pointing toward a lower open.

S&P 500 futures (/ES) are down -0.1% while small-cap Russell 2000 futures (/RTY) are down -0.3%. U.S. officials denied reports from Iranian media that the country’s navy attacked a U.S. warship, while crude oil futures (/CL) nonetheless gained over 3% at one point.

GameStop (GME) is once again making headlines after it made a $56B takeover bid for eBay (EBAY), sending both stocks higher. Factory Orders is on the docket for today’s economic data, while a busy earnings season continues with results from Palantir (PLTR), On Semiconductor (ON), Paramount Skydance (PSKY), and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) today.

It was a banner week for earnings and the U.S. markets, even as the price of oil ticked higher.

The S&P 500 reached new records despite the impact of higher oil prices, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq moved higher. Among the one hundred largest S&P 500 companies, big winners for the week included Intel (INTC), Qualcomm (QCOM), Alphabet (GOOGL), General Dynamics (GD) and Altria Group (MO). S&P 100 losers for the week included Meta Platforms (META), Booking Holdings (BKNG), Amgen (AMGN), Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and Nvidia (NVDA).

Reviewing commentary on global geopolitics, the future of the Fed and U.S. economic growth, and corporate earnings, here are some interviews and quotes that should guide investors and traders looking to the week ahead.