Futures linked to the DOW JONES index rose 0.83% to 46,947.10 points, while those of the S&P 500 advanced 0.99%, to 6,698.10 points. NASDAQ 100 futures rose 1.15% to 24,661.40 points.
Wall Street is coming off another down day on Friday: the DOW JONES fell 0.26%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.61% and the Nasdaq cut 0.93%. In this way, the S&P 500 recorded its third consecutive week of losses, falling 1.6% and closing on Friday at its lowest level of the year. He Dow and the Nasdaq they lost about 2% and 1.3%, respectively.
Investors’ attention remains focused on the Middle East, where The US and Israel war against Iran has already entered its third week. One of its main consequences is that oil prices have soared because traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route, has been practically paralyzed by attacks by Iran.
In early trading on Monday, US West Texas futures fell 3.41% to $93.55, having surpassed $100 during the early hours. The international benchmark Brent crude oil fell 1.31% to $101.79.
On Friday, the president Donald Trump ordered attacks against Iranian military targets located on Kharg Island. Although the attack did not affect the oil infrastructure, Trump warned that the US would consider attacking these structures if Iran continues to block the strait. Meanwhile, the US Government is pressuring its allies to help it reopen traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. According to The Wall Street Journalthe Trump administration is reportedly about to announce that several countries have agreed to help escort oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, although it is unclear whether that will happen before or after the end of hostilities.
One of the market’s great fears is that high oil prices, if prolonged, will end up raising inflation and dashing hopes of rate cuts for the year. This week there will be a new monetary policy meeting of the Federal Reservein which in principle no movements in rates are expected, although market operators will be attentive to any clue they can find about the future intentions of the institution.
On the macroeconomic agenda, early in the morning the manufacturing activity index in the New York region prepared by the Federal Reserve was released. Better known as the Empire State, it fell to a reading of -0.2. A Reuters poll of analysts had forecast the figure at 3.9 in March. The February data had shown a level of 7.1.
On the business front, investors are keeping an eye on NVIDIA as it the chipmaker’s GTC conference begins this Mondayand there are many who hope that it will serve as a catalyst for a market recovery. «NVISIA is moving aggressively toward mastering AI inference. NVIDIA’s OpenClaw and NemoClaw represent the first big step toward consumer-scale agentive AI,» said Timm Schulze-Melander, an analyst at Rothschild & Co. Redburn, in a note. «At the GTC keynote, we expect NVIDIA to reveal more details of its strategy to dominate AI inference. While the market is focused on chips, the key lies in Nvidia’s five-layer architecture, designed to reduce margins for hyperscalers and consolidate the generation of agentive AI.»
Also linked to AI, Nebius Group soars 14% after announcing an agreement with Meta. As part of this agreement, Nebius “will provide $12 billion in dedicated capacity in multiple locations,” according to a statement. The company already announced a similar alliance with NVIDIA last week.
Meanwhile, the earnings season is practically over, although there are still some companies to present their accounts. Until last week, 495 S&P 500 companies had presented results, with an average increase in earnings per share of 14.2%, compared to the 8.8% expected before the publication of the first company, according to Bankinter calculations. The qualitative balance is as follows: 72% exceed expectations, 5% are in line and the remaining 23% disappoint. In the last quarter (Q3 2025) earnings per share increased by 14.9%, compared to the expected 8.5%.
Early this Monday Dollar Tree presented its accounts. The retailer posted fourth-quarter earnings of $2.56 per share, excluding certain items, beating analysts’ estimate of $2.53 per share. However, Revenue of $5.45 billion came in slightly below the consensus forecast of $5.46 billion. Shares are down 6% in New York morning.
Micron Technology rises 4% after announcing plans to build a second manufacturing plant in Taiwan. The new plant will support Micron’s efforts to expand the supply of cutting-edge DRAM products.
It should also be taken into account that Warner Bros. Discovery emerged as the big winner at the Oscars ceremony held on Sunday, although the atmosphere was clouded by its imminent sale for $110 billion to Paramount Skydance. The studio received 11 Oscars, led by ‘One battle after another’which took home six awards, including best film, director and supporting actor. ‘Sinners’ he took home four statuettes, including best leading actor.
Netflix received a total of seven awards, led by ‘Frankenstein’which won three Oscars. He also won the Oscar for best animated film for ‘The K-pop Warriors’already the best song from that movie, ‘Golden’.